IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

1.25

t ^ IIIIM

•hUu

lllli 1-8

U ill 1.6

CM o\

Hiotographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

^^\
^-%>

4^'

4rt

f/.

^(3

.VO

CIHM/ICMH

Microfiche

Series.

CIHIVI/ICMH
Collection de
microfiches.

Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques

technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques

The Institute has attempted to obtain the best
original copy available for filming. Features of this
copy which may be bibliographically unique,
which may alter any of the images in the
reproduction, or which may significantly change
the usual method of filming, are checked below.

D
D

Coloured covers/
Couverture de couleur

I I Covers damaged/

Couverture endommag^e

Covers restored and/or laminated/
Couverture restaurie et/ou pelliculde

□ Cover title missing/
Le titre de couverture manque

I I Coloured maps/

Cartes g6ographiques en couleur

Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/
Enqre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire)

Coloured plates and/or illustrations/
Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur

Bound with other material/
Reli6 avec d'autres documents

Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion
along interior margin/

La re liure serrde peut causer de I'ombre ou de la
distortion le long de la marge intirieure

Blank leaves added during restoration may
appear within the text. Whenever possible, these
have been omitted from filming/
II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutdes
lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte,
mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont
pas 6t6 filmdes.

Additional comments:/
Commentaires suppldmentaires:

L'Institut a microfilm^ le meiileur exempiaire
qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details
de cet exempiaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du
point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier
une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger una
modification dans la m6thode normale de filmage
sont indiqu6s ci-dossous.

I I Coloured pages/

D
D

Pages de couleur

Pages damaged/
Pages andommag6es

Pages restored and/oi

Pages restaurdes et/ou pellicul6es

I I Pages damaged/

I I Pages restored and/or laminated/

Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/
Pages d6color6es, tachetdes ou piqu6es

□ Pages detached/
Pages ddtachdes

Showthrough/
Transparence

I I Quality of print varies/

Quality in^qale de {'impression

Includes supplementary material/
Comprend du matdriel suppi^mentaire

Only edition available/
Seule Edition disponible

Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata
slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to
ensure the best possible image/
Les pages total m int ou partiellement
obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure,
etc., ont 6t6 filmdes A nouveau de fapon d
obtenir la meilleure image possible.

This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/

Ce document est film6 au taux de reduction indiqu6 ci-dessous.

10X

14X

18X

22X

26X

30X

12X

16X

20X

24X

28X

32X

aire
details
ues du
t modifier
ger une
i f jimage

Th« copy filmod haro hat baan raproducad thanka
to tha ganaroaity of:

University of Alberta
Edmonton

Tha imagaa appaaring hara ara tha baat quality
poaaibia conaidaring tha condition and lagibliity
of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha
filming contract apaciflcatlona.

L'axamplaira fiimi fut raproduit grica A la
gAnArositi da:

Univeriity of Alberta
Edmonton

Las images suivantes ont iti reproduites avec le
plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et
da la nattat* da I'axampiaire film«, et en
conformiti avac las conditions du contrat de
filmaga.

/
j^es

Original coplaa in prirtad papar covara ara flimad
beginning with tha front cover and ending on
the laat page with a printed or illuatratad impraa-
sion. or tha back cover when appropriate. All
other original copiae ara filmed beginning on tha
first page witli a printed or illuatratad imprae-
sion, and ending on the laat page with a printed
or illuatratad impraaalon.

Tha laat recorded frame on each microfiche
shall contain the symbol — i^lmeening "CON-
TINUED"), or the symbol ▼ (meaning "END"),
whichever appliea.

Lea exemplaires originaux dont ia couverture en
papier eat imprimte sont filmts en commenpant
par la premier plat et en terminant soit par la
derniAre page qui comporte une emprainte
d'impression ou d'illustration, 9oit par le second
plat, selon le cas. Tous las autres exemplaires
originaux sont filmte en commenqant par la
premiAre page qui comporte une empreinte
d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par
ia darniAre page qui comporte une telle
empreinte.

Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la
derniAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le
cas: le symbole — ^ signifie "A SUiVRE", le
symbole V signifie "FIN".

lire

Mapa, plataa, charta, etc., may be filmed at
different reduction ratios. Those too large to bo
entirely included in one expoaure ara filmed
beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to
right and top to bottom, as many frames aa
required. The following diagrams illustrate tha
method:

Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc.. peuvent dtre
filmte A des taux de reduction diff^rents.
Lorsque ie document etst trop grand pour dtre
reproduit en un httal slichd. il est fiimi d partir
de i'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche i droits,
dt de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre
d'imagea nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants
illustrent la mAthode.

by errata
led to

Bnt

jne pelure,

apon d

32X

DOi

re:

VINDJ

THE

DOCTRINE OF HOLY SCRIPTURE,

AND OF THE

PRIMITIVE CHURCH,

ON THK SUBJECT OF

RELIGIOUS CELIBACY;

WITH A

VINDIC. TION OF THE EARLY CHURCH FROM THE MISTAKES OF

THE AUTHOR OP

•' ANCIENT CHRISTIANITY."

IN THREE PARTS.

BIT

JAMES BEAVEN, M.A

CURATE OF LEIGH.

LONDON:
PRINTED FOR J. G. F. & J. RIVINGTON,

ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD,
AND WATERLOO PLACE, PALL MALL.

1841.

LON DON :

(ill.lfi:KT & niVINGTON, PKINTliRS,

3T. John's square.

>•

; LIIHARV Oh IMt UNIVtRSJTY {

* Of ALihu»* ;

INTRODUCTION.

In ordinary times the question of leligious celibacy
may be fairly left to the private judgment of indi-
vidual Christians, and to their own separate ideas of
what the word of God teaches, or their priyate cir-
cumstances may require. For not being amongst
the duties, nor amongst the things prohibited, but
in the number of those things which are good or
evil, according to the spirit in which they are taken
up, and the practice being from the nature of the
case not contemplated by any party for Christians
in general, it can scarcely ever be suited for bring-
ing forward as a subject of public discussion. But
there are times in which old foundations are gene-
rally disturbed or broken up, and extreme opinions
propounded on either side. Again, there are times
in which reflecting men have felt that the whole
current of the feelings and habits of society has mis-
chievously set in one direction, and in which they

2028529

consequently exert all their endeavours in an oppo-
site one: and this again generates a tendency to
extremes ; each party, in dread of the principles of
the other, putting a high colouring on their own
views, and actually giving them stronger tints than
they would otherwise have thought of doing. In
such times particular subjects not only have an
importance given to them which they would not
otherwise possess ; but they actually become of more
importance in themselves : because upon them great
principles are oftentimes tried and fought out, to be
applied, when once settled, to other subjects more
permanently and universally interesting.

In this predicament the subject of religious ccli-
hacy appears to be at the present time. The Church
from various causes has been thrown upon the study
of Christian antiquity. In searching the records of
early ages, much has come to light again which had
been forgotten ; and whilst we have sufficiently esta-
blished our connexion with the primitive Church
upon main points, we have been compelled to note
our wide difference upon minor and accessory ones
of various degrees of importance. Thus the whole
range of the doctr.ne and discipline, and moral and
religious habits, and tone of mind of the primitive
depositories of the faith, have been to a certain
extent examined ; and amongst the rest the question
of the esteem in which celibacy was held.

Again, it has been observed by many thoughtful
persons, by the simple light of reason and Scripture,

in an oppo-
;endency to
rinciples of

their own
r tints than

doing. In
ly have an

would not
jftie of more

them great
t out, to be
bjects more

sligious ccli-
rhe Church
n the study
records of
I which had

iently esta-
ive Church
led to note

essory ones

the whole

i moral and

le primitive

a certain
he question

thoughtful

1 Scripture,

that, as I have said, the feelings of the age are in
many respects perverted. For in ance, Scripture
itself indicates, what; an acquaintance with its struc-
ture would, on grounds of common sense, have led
us to expect, that we must look elsewhere for a
fuller development of its principles on some points.
And yet the current of opinion has, till of late, con-
fined I s in a great degree to the mere letter of the
Scripture. So again, there are passages of Holy
Writ, which cither with or without reflection \x\m\\
individual cases, would show that there may be a
utility and an honour in f^elibacy ; and yet has not
the feeling of the times been to ireat it as a statft
inferior to matrimony, and less useful? Have not
the very designations, by which those are marked out
who have continued long unmarried, become bye-
words ? Has not this been emphatically the case in
regard to the weaker sex ? Nay, has it not been
taken for granted, that no one could remain un-
married altogether from choice? So far have we
been from the spirit which prompted religious
celibacy !

This has been noticed by some, and ihey have
been compelled \ o acknowledge, that the ieeling of
the age, at all events in the degree in which it pre-
vails, is not only opposed to Holy Scripture, but
even independently of Scripture may be seen to be
positively pernicious; that it has prevented many,
of both sexes, from remaining in a 3tate in which
they might have been usefully and honourably (3m-

ployed, and driven them into another for which they
were net fitted^ and which they have consequently
not adorned nor derived comfort from. Acquaint-
ance with other countries has shown that we are
almost alone in such hahits of thinking. A slight
knowledge of history informs us, that formerly a dif-
ferent feeling prevailed amongst ourselves ; and at
the same time, by exhibiting the abuses to which
it was allowed to lead, discloses the origin of the
opposite extreme into which we have fallen. Re-
search into the primeval records of our religion
opens to us a state of things more in accordance
with Scripture. And this has confirmed our own
impressions derived from that sacred source, and
encouraged persons either to act by them, or to
point out to others the indications of the word of
God for their guidance, or at all events for the
removal of their erroneous prejudices.

It is possible that some of these persons may have
expressed themselves indiscreetly on the subject, or
even have given indications of a feeling akin to that
which in other communions dictates the vow of celi-
bacy '. And hence those who have a strong percep-
tion of the mischiefs i)roduced by that vow take the
alarm, and array themselves even against those views
which an unbiassed examination of the Scripture
would naturally lead to ; confounding together prin-

' I am not alluding here to Dr. Pusey, whose remarks on the
subject, in his Letter to the Bishop of Oxford, are Scriptural and
beautiful in a very high degree.

' which they
lonsequcntly
Acquaint-
that we are
^. A slight
rmerly a dif-
ves ; and at
es to which
rigin of the
fallen. Re-
our religion
I accordance
cd our own

source, and
them, or to

the word of
nts for the

ns may have
subject, or
akin to that
vow of celi-
ong percep-
ow take the
those views
e Scripture
^ether prin-

■emarks on the
Scriptural and

ciples and their distortion or misapplication, exag-
gerating and misstating facts, and all with the view
of alienating the mind of the Church from the whole
system of those who reverence antiquity.

I allude more particularly to a publication which
professes to compare together " Ancient Christianity
and the doctrine of the Oxford Tracts ;" in which,
with great natural ability and power of language,
and extensive though hasty reading, there appears
much misapprehension, much carelessness, and a de-
gree of unfairness, caused by strong prejudices, which
the writer himself, if he could see it in its true light,
would certainly recoil from.

The impression produced by this writer has no
doubt been great, especially from the circumstance
that he has some points in common with several
parties. He won the attention of high churchmen
by the very able and forcible manner in which he
pointed out the untenability of the position adopted
by the modern and popular opponents of Popery, and
the absurdity of looking on the Church as if it had
been newly created at the Reformation. He has
carried away many of those who, ueing high church-
men, do not, nevertheless, think proper to identify
themselves with the writers of the Oxford Tracts,
by pointing out (truly, as they think,) the tendency of
views and feelings entertained by some of that party.
And he has taken with him the whole body of low
churchmen, and of those who were coming over
unwillingly to high-church principles, by supplying

thera with arguments taken from the Fathers them-
selves, with whose writings they were for the most
part unac(iuainte(l : thus happily enabling them to
cope, as they think, with their more learned oppo-
nents, and that with their own weapons. Ho has
obtained the attention of many of all parties, from
the knowledge that he had been a dissenter, had
become a churchman from conviction, and that his
former writings weio marked by great candour and
freedom from prejudice; by the evident cuirM of
his reading, and apparent sincere desire to do justice
to the subject. Nor was it among his least recom-
mendations in some quarters that he promised, at but
little trouble or expense, to remove the veil which
those whom he assailed had, as he said, held up to
shroud Christian antiquity from the gaze of the
vulgar, and to admit them behind the scenes, so far
as it might be decent to do so.

Under these circumstances, and knowing the effect
j)roduced in many quarters, it has appeared to the
writer of these remarks desirable, that a person like
himself, unconnected with the party principally
attacked, but agreeing with thera in old-fashioned
high-church principles, such as were held by
Hooker and Hall, Taylor, Sanderson and Bancroft,
Wilson, Waterland, and Law, alike, should take up
the subject which this writer has chiefly selected ; and
after having detected some of his most glaring errors,
show what the Word of God really teaches, and how
its principles may bo fairly applied to our own times.

'atliers tlieni-
"or the most
ing thcni to
3arned oppo-
ms. Ho has
l)artie8, from
ssentcr, had
and that hiH
candour and
;nt Client of
to do justice
least rccom-
mised, at but
e veil which
I, held up to
gaze of the
cenes, so far

ing the effect
sared to the
% person like
principally
)ld-fashioned
e held by
nd Bancroft,
)uld take up
elected ; and
laring errors,
lies, and how
r own times.

It will then bo time to examine how far (succeeding
ages of the Church agree with or depart from the
spirit of Christ and his Apostles, and to indicate the
cautions thence to be derived in the apj)lication of
divinely given principles.

It might perhaps have been expected that some
one of the gifted and earnest-minded writers of the
Oxford Tracts should descend into the arena with
this writer. Wliether this is likely to be the case or
not, time only can show. But there is this antecedent
improbability, that he has in very few cases specified
where we are to find in their writings the opinions
with which he charges them : and of course no one
of them can be supj)osed to be responsible for all the
vagaries of oi)inion in which persons attached to their
party may indulge. Indeed, strictures upon his pub-
lications on this subject have already appeared in
well-established periodicals '. But there are largo
masses of persons not in the habit of reading those
periodicals. And even were it not so, there are
reasons why the main subject upon which " Ancient
Christianity " hinges should be calmly discussed,
apart from the prejudices of the age in which we
live, and with a view to their correction.

' See particularly some very excellent papers in the " firitish
Magazine," for January and the succeeding months of this year.

CHAPTER 1.

Mr. Taylor (for such is avowed to be the name
of the author of " Ancient Christianity"), after an
introductory discussion, sets out with this premiss,
which will be readily conceded, that if there is
any one point upon which it can be clearly proved
that the ancient Church was from the very beginning
radically wrong, and continued so universally down
to the time of the Reformation, so that the test,
"semper, ubique et ab omnibus" will apply to this one
point ; then it must be granted that the authority of
the ancient Church need not be much accounted of.
He then asserts that these requirements will apply,
unquestionably and fully, to the ancient doctrine and
practice of religious celibacy ; which he thenceforward
sets himself to prove : and upon this he confidently
relies that all enlightened persons and good Protest-
ants will for the time to come throw the Fathers
overboard, as authorities in matters of religion.

It was impossible that Mr. Taylor should do other-
wise than lower himself in the eyes of all well-judg-
ing and candid persons, by the tone he assumes to-

be the name
ty"), after an
this premiss,
t if there is
;learly proved
ery beginning
versally down
khat the test,
3ly to this one
e authority of
accounted of.
its will apply,

doctrine and
henceforward
le confidently

ood Protest-

the Fathers
cligion.
aid do other-
all well-judg-

assumes to-

wards the authors of the Oxford Tracts. To assert
or insinuate of them, that they were eitb so irre-
deemably prejudiced by the study of the Fathers that
they were incapable of perceiving their defects', or
not sufficiently candid to communicate to others their
real views ^: that in editing the Fathers they would
make such selections as would suit a party purpose,
and refrain from giving to the world such as would
tell against that purpose'': such assertions and insi-
nuations might suit the meridian of the " Dublin
Review," but in a person professing peculiar candour
were peculiarly unseemly. And they will appear still
more so, when Mr. Taylor's own real, although one
would hope not intentional, unfairness is taken into
the account ; instances of which I shall now proceed
to specify.

It will be recollected that he undertakes to prove
that the primitive Church, from the very age subse-
quent to the Apostles, held erroneous opinions, and
countenanced abuses connected with religious celi-
bacy, which are equally deserving of reprobation with
any that prevailed subsequently*. In order to prove
this, instead of going to Scripture for sound prin-

' See Ancient Christianity, p. 11. ^ Ibid. p. 391.

» Ibid. p. 367. 414, 415.

* P. 61. •« They (the Oxford Tract writers) know that this
opinion (the angelic excellence of virginity) and concomitant prac-
tice, was no accident of the system, but its very nucleus ; . . and
that . . . this opinion comes down to us sanctioned by . . . the
entire catena patrum."

P. 62. " Had it been possible, at any moment during the first

iMples, he begins to build upon tlie particular preju-
dices of this age ; and having laid them down as un-
deniable truths, he then proceeds to revolt the minds
of his readers by quotations from the excited lan-
guage of the Roman Catholic St. Bernard ; some
of which however appears to be from suspected
writings. From thence he transports us to the
Nicene era, and finds little difficulty in furnishing
us with language equally excited. As he proceeds
onward and upward, the language becomes more
calm ; and one would have thought this would have
shown him that those who lived nearer to the
Apostles felt more as the Apostles did. But no:
this would not suit the theory ; and so we are told
that the later language was merely a further deve-

five centuries to have withdrawn this opinion and these practices
altogether from the ecclesiastical system, the entire structure of
polity and worship must have crumbled to the dust."

P. (55. " Instead of a regular and slow developement of error,
there was a very early expansion of false and pernicious notions in
their mature propoi..lGns, and those attended by some of their
rvorst fruits."

P. 6". " The extreme evils usually considered as inseparable
from these notions (the meiit and angelic virtues of celibacy)
attached to them from the earliest times."

P. 104. •' At the earliest period at which we find this doctrine
and those practices distinctly mentioned, they are referred to in
such a manner as to make it certain that they were at that time
no novelties or recent innovations."

P. 1 18. '• It is thus with the practices with which we are now
concerned ; and which are as ancient as any other characteristics
of ancient Christianity."

irticular preju-
m down as un-
)volt the minds
le excited lan-
•ernard ; some
rom suspected
rts us to the
in furnishing
is he proceeds
becomes more
his would have
learer to the
did. But no:
10 we are told
, further deve-

nd these practices
ntire structure of
lust."

opement of error,
nicious notions in
by some of their

red as inseparable
tues of celibacy)

find this doctrine
are referred to in
were at that time

fhich we are now
er characteristics

lopement of the earlier principles, which are there-
fore chargeable with the extravagances of the Nicenc
age '. This might be a very good argumentiirn ad
hominem to those who think the system of the fourth
and fifth centuries legitimate developements of Scrip-
tural principles, but it will scarcely be granted by any
one besides. In this way it would not be very diffi-
cult to trace the whole of Popery to the early Fathers.

He had stated that the worst abuses of religious
celibacy prevailed from the beginning ; and the proof
of this statement is essential to his argument; but
he nowhere endeavours to make it good by instances.
In fact, there is rot a shadow of a proof of it ear-
lier than Cyprian. There was an abuse certainly
which prevailed in some parts of the Church, in
Tertullian's time, that of married persons separating
permanently on religious grounds ; but that was not
one of the worst abuses. He had said again ^ that
celibacy appeared on almost every page of the
Fathers : whereas Ignatius, Justin, and Athenagoras
only once or twice allude to it, and the other writers
of that age not at all. In Clement of Alexandria,
and Cyprian, there are not twenty pages each re-
lating to the subject ; and it is very little noticed in
either Origen or Minucius Felix. And they bring
iis down to 225 years after the death of Christ.

In drawing his proofs from the age immediately
succeeding to the apostles, he of course looked into

P. 144.

' P. 133.

the Epistles of Ignatius. But will it be believed,
that this gentleman, who set out with such large
professions and resolutions of enlightening the whole
Church \ and dragging forth into day the blemishes
of the Fathers, actually does not know the genuine
writings of Ignatius from the spurious and interpo-
lated ones ? He has actually 'quoted the Epistle to
the Antiochians, to Hero, and to the Philippians,
as though they were genuine ^ ! At that rate it will
certainly be easy to bring forward matter which the
Editors of the Library of the Fathers would pass over.
So again, the Apostolical Constitutions, which he
acknowledges to be a " spurious work," (p. 120),
" betraying the ecclesiastical costume of the fourth
century," (p. 325,) are brought forward in conjunc-
tion with Ignatius " as good evidence in the present
inquiry," as exhibiting " the general feeling of the
ancient church, upon which TertuUian labours to

' Dedication, p. vii. " The time is now manifestly come,
when the Christian community at large must be thoroughly in-
formed concerning the spiritual and the moral condition of the
Church during the morning hour of its existence, which, too
easily, alas ! has been surrounded with attributes of celestial
splendour, dignity, and purity. To collect and diffuse this now
indispensable information, is then the task I have undertaken."
p. ix. "As actually possessing the Greek and Latin church writers,
and as being, in some degree, used to their company."

' P. 119. Some alterations have been made in the second
edition, but the quotations from these epistles have been pre-
served, and that by the gentleman who is " somewhat used to
the company of the Greek and Latin Fathers."

t be believed,
th such large
ing the whole
the blemishes
V the genuine
and interpo-
the Epistle to
B Philippians,
at rate it will
ter which the
>uld pass over,
ons, which he
rk," (p. 120),
of the fourth
i in conjunc-
n the present
eeling of the
n labours to

nanifestly come,
i thoroughly in-
condition of the
nee, which, too
ites of celestial
diffuse this now
/e undertaken."
1 church writers,
any."

in the second
have been pre-
aewhat used to

build a still loftier doctrine." So that this spurious
work of the fourth century (or at least of whieli
we cannot be sure that any part was earlier than
that time, unless it is confirmed from other sources)
is treated as embodying the general feeling of the
Church prior to Tertullian.

To go a step forward. Every one who knows any
thing on the subject, is aware that Tertullian was a
Montanist in the latter years of his life, and that
many of his treatises were written after he became a
Montanist. Indeed Mr. Taylor himself alludes to
the circumstance. Now no one, we should have
thought, would bring forward the opinions which
Tertullian espoused after he became a Montanist, as
specimens of the opinion of the Catholic Church of
his period. Most persons would even suspect the
whole of his writings as being liable to be tinged
with unsoundness. But Mr. Taylor betrays very
slight misgivings. He quotes Tertullian without
hesitation, as a witness to Church feeling ', and
his Montanist treatises equally with his Catholic
ones ^

He not only quotes him, but also misunderstands
or misrepresents him in an astonishing manner. He
entitles the tract, " De Velandis Virginibus," " Con-
cerning the veiling of Nuns^ ;" and adds, in a paren-
thesis, " Do not startle at the term as employed by
a writer of the pristine age ; for at this time the

* P. 107.

P. 90- -92. 94,9ri.
B

p. 94.

word virgo liad, among church-writers, lUready ac-
quired its technical sense, and, in fact, cor.veyed all
the meaning afterwards attached to the more pecu-
liar epithet wowwa/' Will it be believed that the
very opening of this treatise shows that it was Ter-
tuUian's object in it to induce all unmarried ivonien '
to veil themselves ? And though there can be no
doubt, from other portions of his writings, that there
were persons of both sexes who silently dedicated
their virginity to God, yet it is very doubtful whether
they were at all extensivf v marked as a class ; and
no doubt whatever, that for ages after, none secluded
themselves, at least in societies. And where, then,
is the truth of applying the term n'u:> to such females
(even if the Latin word nonna was in after times
applied to them), when we all know that in English
it necessari.y implies seclusion, and that in societies?
The same fallacy appears in another passage -,
where he explains the expression, " Our sisters whose
nan.es are with the Lord," to signify " enrolled as
nuns in the church-books." Even if they were en-
rolled in the church-books dy name (which could only

' His words are, " Ostendam virgines nostras velari oportere,
ex quo transitum cetatis sucefecerint," This evidently has nothing
to do with. 2^rofessed virgins : for even Mr. Taylor will not pretend
that in Tertullian's age girls were dedicated before they had at-
tained the age of puberty. Indeed, he elsewhere speaks of it as
a monstrous thing that a virgin of twenty rhoul.l be entered on
the church-books.

'' P. 90.

rs, already a('-
b, cor.veyed all
the more pecu-
ievcd that the
!iat it was Ter-
nrried ivoman '
ere can be no
ngs, that there
;ntly dedicated
ubtful whether
LS a class ; and
, none secluded
d where, then,
such females
in after times
hat in EnfvHsh
t in societies?
ther passage ^
r sisters whose
" enrolled as
tliey were en-
lich could only

IS velari oportere,
ently has nothing
r will not pretend
ore they had at-
re speaks of it as
lid be entered on

be that they might receive a share in the clnn-ch
alms along with the widows, which again coukl be
necessary for none but the poor amongst them), yet
the natural meaning of the expression surely is no-
thinof more than that of St. Paul, " whose names are
written in heaven;" i.e. as having given up the
lawful pleasures of life for the promotion of the
glory of God. Mr. Taylor again ' attributes to Ter-
tullian the doctrine "that Christianity, as revealed
and verbally expressed in the canonical writings, is a
mere sketch, or rough draft, of that mature truth
which, by little and little, was to be granted to the
Church, through the medium of its doctors, and
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit ;" and calls
this " his fundamental church axiom," by which he
supported " the characteristic sentiments and arti-
ficial notions, which were the strength of the insti-
tution," of " religious celibacy, as a standing and
prominent part of the ecclesiastical system." Now,
I appeal to any candid person, whether he would not
suppose that Mr. Taylor was here stating an acknow-
ledged axiom of the Church, exhibited in the writings
of Tertullian. And what must be the surprise of
such a person when he finds, that, in the passage
quoted from that father, he is reasoning on the Mon-
tanistical fancy that a new dispensation of the Holy
Ghost had arisen, which superseded to a considerable
extent the dispensation of Jesus, and the reveries of

' P. m.
b2

whose prophets were to be sot above the teaching of
the Apostles ; and that in various parts of his writings,
Tertullian, upon the strength of this fancy, opposes
the whole Catholic Church of his period ! And yet
that is the simple fact, which a very slight acquaint-
ance with his writings would show, and which ap-
pears, indeed, in the very passage Mr. Taylor has
translated.

Clement of Alexandria, on the other hand, whose
language happens to bo calm and sensible, and who
actually opposes the exalted ideas of some of the
Gnostics on marriage and celibacy, is brought forward
as though he were but a single individual, opj)osing in
vain a tide of fanaticism amongst " all around him ' ;"
which fanaticism, for aught that appears, had not yet
gained any head in the Church at large, whatever it
might have done amongst heretics.

He endeavours, indeed, to rebut this objection by
•' turning to contemporary orthodoa; writers and their
immediate successors." Now, the only " contempo-
rary writer" he can bring forward is the Montanist
Tertullian ; whose evidence, at the very outside, ex-
tends to only a section of the Church : and the
" immediate successor " must be Cyprian ; whom,
however, in another place, he represents as Cle-
ment's junior ^ ; although it is generally agreed that
Clement and Tertullian died before a.d. 220, whilst
Cyprian was only made bishop in a.d. 248.

3 p >

* Ad

' P \\\.

' P. ll.^.

tlie teaching of
? of his writings,
fancy, opposes
iod ! And yet
flight acquaint-
and which ap-
Mr. Taylor has

er liand^ whose
isible, and who
f some of the
•rough t forward
ual, op])osing in
around him ' ;"
irs, had not yet
Sfe, whatever it

is objection by
riters and tlieir
y " contempo-

the Montanist
ry outside, ex-
jrch : and the
'prian ; whom,
esents as Cle-
lly agreed that

D. 220, whilst
.. 248.

P. 115.

And, to come to Cyprir ', his great stronghold prior
to the Nicene ago. He misapprehends even tlie
meaning of his words. Thus he entitles his tract, De
habitu Virginum^ " On the attire of Nuns '." Of the
misnomer of mms for virgins^ at a time when there
was no seclrsion, I have already spoken ; and a writer
in the British Magazine ^ has shown, what indeed the
truct itself would have led one to see, ti it the proper
rendering is, " On the Conduct or Habits of Virgins."
Thus, again, he quarrels with Cyprian' for quoting
passages of Scripture, in which the word disciplina
occur'^. in the Latin version, in support of " that sys-
tem of ecclesiastical discipline which the vow of
celibacy involved," or "the rules of this artificial
discipline, enjoined for enforcing the system of fac-
titious purity :" where it is perfectly evident, that all
that Cyprian means by the term is, the correction
and restraint of all sin, which the rulers of the
Church were, as a matter of course, bound to exer-
cise, and in which it was the duty of the people to
support tliem^ Whether he rightly applies Scrip-

* P. 75.

* Feb. 1840. P. 160. It must, however, be granted that the
mistake was not unnatural ; for Mr. Thornton, who translated
Cyprian for the Library of the Fathers, has, '* On the Dress of
Virgins," to which Mr. Newman has likewise set his imprimatur.

' P. 74.

* Ad Pomponium. His words are '* Primo igitur in loco, frater
carissime, et prsepositis et plebi nihil aliud elaborandum est, quam
ut qui Deum timemus, cum omni observatione disciplinse divina
praecepta teneamus, nee patiamur errare fratres nostros, et pro
arbitrio et ructu suo vivere."

ture may in some cases be doubted ; but that there
is any perversion of mind 1*^ ''ed in accommodating
passages to purj)oscs for i .. they were not at first
intended, or taking words in a shade of meaning
dirt'erent from that which the writer meant them to
have, I should not have imagined that any reader of
the New Testament, where many such accommoda-
tions are to be found, would have contended. In the
tract quoted previously, Cyprian takes discipUna in a
wider sense, as signifying the moral training under
which God puts us, and under which we ought to put
ourselves, as members of His Church ^

But these are trifles. From a single tract of his,
written whilst he was yet a presbyter, some exag-
gerated and rhetorical language is brought for-
ward ; and that is treated as a specimen of the
feeling of his age, although no other part of his
writings, nor of those of his contemporaries, con-
tains such language : so far from it, that Origen
and Minucius Felix, who speak slightly on the
subject, are perfectly calm and rational, and never
hint at any abuse as arising from the practice-.

' In the same captious spirit Mr. Taylor censures the Christian
writers of a later age (p. 210) for having adopted the terms
<piXoao(pia and disciplina, to signify religion ; when, if he had
considered a moment, he would have seen that they were only
following the example of Solomon, who uses for it the cognate
Hebrew term, which we translate wisdom.

' Minutii Felicis Octavius, 31. Origen. in Matt. torn. xv. 4.
These references will be given at length in a subsequent portion
of these papers.

but that thero
accommodating
rcre not at first
de of meaning
meant them to
t any reader of
!li accommoda-
;ended. In the
I dimplina in a
traininij under
^e ought to put

•

le tract of his,
T, some exag-
brought for-
Bcimen of tlie
3r part of his
iporarit'S, con-
;, that Origen
ightly on the
lal, and never
the practice-.

ares the Christian
opted the terms
when, if he head
t they were only
for it the cognate

latt. torn. XV. 4.
bsequent portion

80 ajjain from the same tract we learn, that some
of tlie profcMcd virgins, in the place of which ho
was presbyter, had the indecency to frc([UtMit the
public baths; and from a letter of his, when a
bishoj), we find that in a single diocese in Africa
a considerable number of them were guilty of
even worse conduct. But what unprejudiced or
ordinarily candid person would have brought forward
these delinquencies, confined, so far as appears, to
limited localities, as symptoms of the general state
of the virgins throughout the Church ^ ? Or again,
who would have inferred from the indiscretion
or guilt of a single deacon in all the dioceses
of the African church, that of a considerable
body of the clergy? And yet this is what Mr.
Taylor has expressly assumed. According to him,
the virgins, or " nuns," as he chooses to miscall
them ^ " had, under the colour of spiritual inter-
course with the clergy, to whose care they had been
consigned, and who themselves generally professed
continence, (this has not been proved,) admitted the
grossest familiarities, and thus diffused an extreme
corruption of manners among the very men to whom
was entrusted the moral welfare of the people."
So again ^ he speaks of their " clerical parar lOurs,"
and asserts that, " as it regarded the ministers of
religion at least, the whole of that genial influence

' P. 71. 75. 78.
' P. 73.

P. 71. 75.

which is fuund to urise fruiii christianized domestic
rehitioiis was turned aside ; and in its place cauie
habits and modes of feeling, which may not bo
R|)ol<en of." Will it be believed that all this is made
out of the ningh^ delinquent deacon above men-
tioned? In this way, no doubt, it may be easy to
prove any abuse to have been universal.

But this writer is not contented with destroying
in this way the credit of a considerable body of
clergy for the fault of one, he even goes so far as to
hint away, by conjectures entirely of his own inven-
tion, the character of Cyprian himself, and the whole
clerical body. After stating ' that the poor, the
widows, the virgins, (and he might have added the
clergy,) were dependent more or less for support upon
the genera' fund, which was all in the keeping of
the bishop, and remarking upon the patronage and
power he must thence acquire, and the addition these
must receive from " every addition made to the
permanent pensionary establishment," he subjoins
this very charitable corollary : — " Cyprian then was
quite right, in an economic sense, (though perhaps he
did not distinctlv mean as much,) when he said that
the glory of mother church bore proportion to the
numbers included in the quire of virgins. There is
no mystery in all this : nothing but the ordinary
connexions of cause and effect is involved ; and yet
so obvious a bearing of the celibate institution upon

P. 384.

',>5

ianized domestic

its place cauio
?li may not bo

all this is made
on a))ove mcn-

muy bo easy to
sal.

with destroying
[lerablc bodv of
?oes so far as to

his own inven-
f, and the whole

the poor, the
liavc added the
or support upon

the keeping of

patronage and
e addition these
1 made to the
," he subjoins
prian then was
ugh perhaps he
in he said that
•portion to the
jins. There is
t the ordinary
)Ived; and yet
istitution upon

the power and influence of the clergy, has been very
little regarded." And lest we should not apprehend
the force of this inuendo, we find further on ',
" Can we believe that the singular animation which
marks the style of the Nicene orators, when they
are lauding the monastic life, received no heighten-
ing from the uncoufessed influence of inferior mo-
tives ?" And again : " it is then a sheer infatuation,
to cite seraphic hymns and glowing orations con-
cerning the ' angelic life,' and to forget the homely
import of the entire system in pounds, shillings, and
pence." Still more strongly ^ *' the nuns might
worm themselves through all the crevices of society,
and at the same time, as they habitually * confessed'
to the clergy, and received instructions from thera,
they might be employed to effect any nefarious
practice." Can any thing equal the cruelty of
these insinuations, but the low tone of mind which
suggests them ?

If I went no further than this, 1 might perhaps
think that I had done enough to raise a doubt,
whether Mr. Taylor is altogether the sort of guide
one should like implicitly to follow, and whether he
is peculiarly qualified to remedy the alleged errors
of prejudice and partiality committed by the Oxford
Tract writei'S.

I have very little doubt that I might point out
corresponding mistake and misrepresentation every

' P. 386.

» P. 387.

where. But the fact is, that I have not the advan-
tage which Mr. Taylor enjoys of " actually pos-
sessing the Greek and Latin church writers :" and J
can therefore, for the present, only rest upon what
he himself has stated of the later writers, to whom,
however, I hope to come in due time, and to make
use of them fairly. The use, however, which he
made of such authors as I happened to have, led me
to doubt whether, if I had possessed the others, 1
shouM not have found that he was quoting spurious or
doubtful works of the authors he alleged, without
any suspicion that they were not genuine. Indeed,
if I had been ever so rich in Fathers, I could not
have availed myself of them to any extent, from the
want of references in the first edition of his work.
In the second, however, these misgivings are entirely
confirmed by finding that the documents he chiefly
relies on are such as he is obliged to confess to be
doubtful as to their authorship, and freedom from
interpolation. It is true that he endeavours to get
over this difficulty by alleging that these doubts are
(juite unfounded ; (as indeed the Romanist Du})in
agrees with him in thinking ;) but other persons will
think that the business is not to be so quietly
settled, and will take the liberty to doubt on, in
comi)any with higher authorities.

And this brings me to another charge I have to
bring against him : and that is, that he confounds
together, in his sweeping accusations, living j)ersons
who differ decidedly in opinion. Thus, for instance.

he cha
churchi
ment ;
Gospel
for ages
system
develoj
of that
This is
surely i
it is sc
matter
more s
body o
quity, a
vice bo(
ecclesia
be, and
that at
but I a
of adop
mind o
ness in
men tli
some
zeal ar
piety :
taken ;
shovvn,
what r

not the advan-
" actually pos-
writers :" and I
rest upon what
writers, to whom,
ne, and to make
ever, which he
to have, led me
d the others, 1
•ting spurious or
illeged, without
nuine. Indeed,
3rs, I could not
xtent, from the
on of his work.
ngs are entirely
ents he chiefly
confess to be
freedom from
eavours to get
lese doubts are
)manist Dupin
er persons will
be so quietly
doubt on, in

irge I have to
he confounds
living j)ers()ns

, for instance.

he charges the whole of the new school of high
churchmen, with adopting the doctrine of develope-
ment ; by which it is supposed that principles of the
Gospel may remain, and have remained in abeyance
for ages, and have then been developed ; or that the
system prevalent in the fourth century, was but the
developement, under more favourable circumstances,
of that which came from the hands of the Apostles.
This is very probably the opinion of individuals, but
surely not of any considerable number : and whether
it is so or not, we have no proof of it. It is all
matter of assertion. And if that is unfair, how much
more so is it to charge by implication the whole
body of high churchmen, all who reverence anti-
quity, and receive the principles implied in the ser-
vice books of the church, with a desire to adopt the
ecclesiastical system of the Nicene age. There may
be, and no doubt are, pohits in the institutions of
that age which many of us would wish to revive;
but I am scarcely too bold in asserting, that the idea
of adopting the whole en masse never entered into the
mind of any sane person. There is the same unfair-
ness in charging upon the principles of high church-
men the extreme opinions or unguarded language of
some of the new school. We respect them for their
zeal and earnest sincerity ; we strive to follow their
piety : but we regard them as in some respects mis-
taken ; and some well-known high churchmen have
shown, and are actually at this moment showing, in
what respects they conceive them to have erred.

1 have thought it necessary to say so much in
disparagement of " Ancient Christianity," and its
author, partly because of the great vogue which his
book has had, and still more from its high preten-
sion, and the tone of covert or open disparagement
with which he has thought fit to treat others. And
I trust that if any of my readers has at all surren-
dered his judgment to the apparent completeness of
his proofs, he will now at least begin to doubt
whether he has done wisely in so doing. At all
events I have clearly established, I conceive, that
his attempt to show that the test "■ semper, ubique
et ab omnibus," applies to the erroneous opinions
and abuses which have been connected with reli-
gious celibacy, has been entirely unsuccessful ; that
he has totally failed in carrying up the chain of
proof to the Church authorities of the first ages ; and
consequently his argument in disparagement of the
Fathers, and of that test as a criterion of truth or
falsehood, entirely falls to the ground. For even if
he should succeed in proving the Nicene Fathers to
have been ever so unsound on the point of celibacy,
their unsoundness does not implicate the Church
which succeeded to the Apostles. The error, what-
ever it was, did not obtain countenance in that age,
and the abuses did not even exist. And even where
he does prove errors and abuses, he cannot do away
with the force of the testimony of those who counte-
nance them as to the great facts of the doctrine
and discipline of their day. He uses their tcstimom/

say so mucli in
ianity," and its

vogue which his
its high preten-
u disparagement
at others. And
18 at all surren-
completeness of
begin to doubt

doing. At all
[ conceive, that
'semper, ubique
Dneous opinions
3cted with reli-
successful ; that
p the chain of
3 first ages ; and
igement of tlu;
rion of truth or
d. For even if
cene Fathers to
3int of celibacy,
ite the Church
he error, what-
ce in that age,
Lnd even where
;annot do away
se who countc-
f the doctrine
their tcstimonij

himself, and he cannot deny to us the use of it.
And if only that be granted, even if we account the
mdhoriiy of the writers as nothing, we can obtain
sufficient support for those principles which are in-
sisted on by the great body of high churchmen.

If my object, therefore, had been merely to show
that Mr. Taylor's writings were not trustworthy, I
might stop here. But as I conceive that much un-
scriptural prejudice exists on the subject of religious
celibacy, which the general tone of this publication
is calculated to foster, I will proceed to a careful,
and, as I hope, candid consideration of this subject.
In so doing, I purpose to reverse the plan pursued
by Mr. Taylor, and to hegm by showing what ihc
umrd of God really teaches on the suljject. In so
doing, I trust I shall have with me the suffrages of
all really candid persons, and all who desire to
know the truth. And whether it be so or not, I
shall not be deterred by the fear of being classed
with those who covertly wish to bring back Popish
j)ractices, if such there are ' ; being conscious that I
have all my life simply sought the truth, and have
been prepared to follow it out whithersoever it
might lead me. Neither shall I be influenced by
the fear of being classed with the party who are the
especial objects of this writer's antipathy; being
equally conscious that I have never yet attached
myself to any but that of the old-fashioned high

' Sco Pref. vii. and pp. f)3. 101.

(jhurohmen ; and even that not from education or in
the spirit of party, but because in the pursuit of truth
my convictions have hitherto been more and more
coincident with their opinions. For if I, like Mr.
Taylor, may speak of myself, although brought up a
churchman, and having become an early commu-
nicant, I was yet from my childhood in constant and
daily association with dissenters of almost every
class, and in the habit of frequenting their places of
worship and reading their books ; and was thus
imbued with many of their prejudices, and filled
with their objections against the Church. I was
thus necessitated, when it was proposed to me to
enter into holy orders, to examine, portion by por-
tion, the whole ground of the Church. And although
much time was thus spent in doubt and suspense, at
a time of life when the mind has most need of
unshaken belief, and many years elapsed before
early prejudices were eradicated, yet I am thankful
for that discipline, whatever it was, which has ended
in the unwavering convictions I now possess ; and in
my being privileged to have a fellow feeling with
those in all ages who have held " church princi-
ples," and have contributed to the strength and spiri-
tual authority of the church, instead of its division
and consequent weakness for the great ends for
which it was establisher^ This egotism, I trust, will
be pardoned me, inasmuch as it shows that I am
not, (what however I think with Dr. Hook a more
excellent state,) one of those unhappy bigots who

I education or in
3 pursuit of truth

more and more
or if I, like Mr.
^h brought up a
a early eonimu-

in constant and
)f almost every
^ their places of
and was thus
ices, and filled
Uhurch. I was
•posed to me to

portion by por-

. And although

md suspense, at

most need of

elapsed before

I am thankful
rhich has ended
possess ; and in
w feeling- with

church princi-
Bngth and spiri-

cf its division
great ends for
im, I trust, will
ows that I am
. Hook a more
py bigots who

Lave been brought uj) in the principles they at pre-
sent hold ; and consequently may entitle me to be
considered as at least equally unprejudiced with the
writer whom I am opposing. It may likewise [)er-
haps be not amiss to mention, that I am so far
likely to be unprejudiced on this particular subject,
as that I have made trial of both the unmarried and
the married state.

CHAPTER II.

The portion of Holy writ wliich naturally conies
first under our consideration, both as standing earlier
than any other in the New Testament, and as coming
directly from our Lord himself, is that contained in
Matthew xix. 10 — 12. If we read the context, we
shall see that Christ had been speaking against the
habit of divorce for com])aratively slight causes,
which was then prevalent amongst the Jews, and
had laid it down as a rule, that it was not lawful to
effect a divorce, except for adultery. Some of his
disciples, feeling probably tliat they might be placed
in circumstances in which they would be glad to
profit by the liberty they at present possessed, re-
marked, that if they were to be so irrevocably bound,
it would be better to abstain from marriage alto-
gether. To this our Lord rejoined, that the cor-
rectness of this conclusion would depend uj)on the
circumstances of the individual person ; and that
to most persons marriage, whatever might be its
drawbacks, was most desirable. " He said unto

them,
to when
who, wl]
a divine
of devot
more or
persons
there ni
their mi
which \
eunuchs
the kin,
receive
If it
" have
reliffious
liest Wl
(as, for

• Mr. '
although
instance,
being a
or abstra(
very last
open the
should sii
the respo

- Stroi

£)'(( yaf.10
Ibid. ^

naturally conies
standing earlier
it, and as cominjr
lat contained in
the context, we
;ing ap^ainst the
y slight causes,

the Jews, and
is not lawful to
y. Some of his
night be placed
uld be glad to

possessed, re-
evocably bound,

marriage alto-

that the cor-

pend upon the

■son; and that

• might be its

I To said unto

them. All men cannot receive this saying, save they
to whom it is given." But that there were j)ersons
who, whether from nature or from violence, or from
a divine gift accompanied by an overpowering desire
of devoting themselves to the service of God, were
more or less indifferent to marriage, and that such
persons would do well to remain unmarried. " For
there are some eunuchs, which were so born from
their mother's womb ; and there are some eunuchs
which were made eunuchs of men ; and there be
eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for
the kingdom of heaven's «ike. He that is able to
receive it, let him receive it '."

If it should be inquired why the expression,
" have made themselves eunuchs," is applied to
religious celibacy, my reply is — 1st, That the ear-
liest writers who quote or allude to the ]>hrase,
{as, for instance, Clement of Alexandria ', and Ter-

' Mr. Taylor agrees with me upon this passage in the main,
although the tendency of his book is to disparage celibacy. For
instance, he speaks with scora of the idea of an unmarried man
being a bishop. " The meagre, heartless, nerveless, frivolous,
or abstracted and visionary coelebs — make him a bishop ! The
very last thing he is fit for : let him rather trim the lamps and
open the church doors, or brush cobwebs from the ceiling! — how
should such a one be a father to the Church ?" p. 393. Alas ! for
the responsibility of those who made Taylor and Andrews bishops!
Strom. III. i. § 1. 'HyuEtg tvvovyjiav fitv kui inc roiiro
cecwf)i)Tai VTTO Qiov jiaKupili^o^iP, /.wroyafiiKi' Ct kcu ri)i' TTfp'i ror

Ibid. wiii. § 10r>. 'I'lioc IXftrOiti rtiv fv}'()}i\i(if Kitrii -ur uyni

tuUian ',) apply it to that |)ra('tice, altliou^li ()i)|)ose(|
to each other as to its value ; 'iiidly, Thai Origen,
who in early life acted on its Ivtoral interpretation,
has recorded his recantation of that opinion - ; and.
lastly, That the Valesii, who supported that inter-
pretation, were condemned by the Church at large.

It is evident, I think, that the counsel of our
Lord, " He that can receive it, let him receive it,"
must apply especially to those who choose celibacy
for the kingdom of heaven's sake ; because, in tin-
two cases previously mentioned, there are obvious
reasons why the parties are so little at liberty, that
it would almost amount to a sin for them to enter
into the state of wedlock. And at all events, unless
all marriage whatever be undesirable, their condition

can scarcely be spoken of as a gift of heaven
even if, with Origen, we take a figurative meaning
throughout ^ and consider the first class as those

fiiaovvra It Ti]v Kriaiv, ovCe eiovdefoin'Ta tovq yeyayuj/Korac.

' De virginibus velandis, 10. Viri tot virgines, tot spadones
voluntarii.

De cultu fem'tnarum, II. 9. Non enim et raulti ita faciunt ct
se spadonatui obsignant, propter regnum Dei tarn fortem et
utique permissam voluptatem s'jonte ponentes.

* In Matt. torn. xv. 4. \\va\aftu)v . . . r/)i^ . . . /iaxatpui

Tov YlvEVfxaTOQ /u») ifKTv^evoc Tov aijfiaTOQ. And again, ^oi

oi)^ wc diovrai o'l atofiariKiuc ra Kara tov roiroy e^etX/j^one.

' Origen's words in the passage I have twice mentioned are
these. FjVVOv\oi TiwTriKwtj vvv ol a()yo( npvq afpo^iffia Xiyoii'T
ay, Kfu ^n) tTriCif^orTtr lavrovi; ra'if: Kara rnuro uireXytiaig Kut

■l

who are
not incj
have be
as migh
by herct
the simi
state as
the case
in whicl
by mort
ence to
strong (
powers 1

hxaQapaia
ipyovvTuiv

rOlOVTOl, 7i

\6yu)v /x£i
n&ffTjg 7?7c
Tjfv Toiavi
Karopdwai
i^i\offO(j)ria
A7r£)(£(T0a(
iriXovaOai
et Tvv \o
inrtp Trdff
OToXoc, jLtc

^IJ UTTTOflt

obpavijjv,

jiaffiXtiav

ahrov.

obpavwy.

altlioii^li oj)|)ost'(|
lly, That Origeii,
al intorpretation.
it opinion ^ ; and.
lorted that intor-
Dhurch at large.
3 counsel of our
t hiui receive it,'
) choose celi])aev

; because, in the
here are obvious
e at liberty, that
for them to enter
all events, unless
e, their condition

of heaven. Or
curative meaning

t class as those

Ty Sodtiar) Xfip'ri, u'v
'C yey a /jiijKOTaQ,
irgines, tot spadones

multi ita faciunt et
Dei tarn fortem et
ts.

Tt)v . . . fici')(aipat
roe. And again, Km
y i^EiXijcjjoTtQ,
twice mentioned are
C afpo^itria Xtyoii'T
■((iirn utjeXyuaig khi

who are naturally indisposed to sensual pleasure, but
not incapable of it ; and the second, as those who
have been persuaded by tnerc human reasoning, such
as might weigh with a heathen or an infidel, or
by heretical notions, to renounce it ; we cannot, from
the simple force of the terms, speak of this second
state as a gift of God. It remains, therefore, that
the case contemplated by our Lord as such, is that
in which persons find in themselves, or have acquired
by mortification and prayer, a comparative indiffer-
ence to celibacy, at the same time that they feel a
strong desire to devote their undivided thoughts and
powers to the service of religion. And in such a case

iucadapffiaiQ, y m TrapanXiitrtu avTolc- E/Vt Se tuiv npog ravTa
iipyovvTti)y Siatbopai ol/xai rpcTc- Ot fxev yap ek Kara(TV£u»/f elirt

roiovToi, Trepl tay Xiyoir ay tu' tlai ovrtoc. O/ St ek

\6yti)v fiEv atTKovai TrpoTpairEyTtQ Ty)y rwv rKJipoSiiriwy airo-)^^t)y, kuJ
ir&arrjg rijc Trept Tvy tottop aKoXaalag, Oh ^i)y to yevyiiaay avTo'it,
Ttfy Toiavrrfv npudeaiy koi aaKr^aiv, icat Ti]v, 'iv ovtwq oro/xarrw,
KaTopdojaiy Xoyog yiyove Qeov, aXXa ayQpunnyoL Xoyoi, e'ite rwr
(^iXoffO(j>r](TdvTii)y nap' "EXXTjffti/, e'ite twv KwXvovTuy yufXEly,
iLirE\E(Tdai jipw^aTwy, iv ralg aipiaEaiv. Ovtol Bt) fxoi SoKoiai

SriXovadai kv t^' Eitrly aydpwTrioy. To o' u.wo\TJg at,ioy,

tl Toy Xoyoy tiq ayaXafiiov Toy ^faivra Kai iyEpyfj Kai TOjiuiTEpoy
bwEp TTuaav fxa^^aipay hioTOfiov, Ka\ Tr\y, wc oyofiairEv b 'Atto-
OToXoQ, fxaj^aipay tov TlyEVfiaros, EKTEfxyoi to ttj^ \liv\r}£ nadrjTiKop,
ftij anToncyoc tov awfxaTOQ' kai tovto ttoio'i kuI voijaac (iaaiXEiay
ohpavwv, (cat fxiyiaToy cfviiftaXXofiEvov irpog to (>.\?;povoju>/ffa(
fiaaiXtiav ovpaywy to EKTEfXEly Xoyu) to ■rradt]TiK6y Tijc \pvyrjt;
uItov. To'iQ Se TOiovToig hpfi6(oi ay, Kai o'v\ o;c o'iovt' i o'l

ffw/xantcwc Ta KaTci Toy tottov tlEiXtjtpoTEf^, to' Etalv

ohpayHiy.

c 2

nothing appears to be more clear than tliat (.lirist
advises them to choose celibacy for tliat special
end.

But it is to be remarked that this indifference to
marriage, whatever be the degree of it, is clearly
spoken of as a (///?. " No man can receive this say-
ing, save he to whom it is gircn." And from this it
results in the first place, that no one can be expected
to continue in celibacy permanently, even for a reli-
gious end, who has not what the Church of England
calls " the gift of continency ;" "indly, That although,
like other divine gifts, it may be granted to prayer,
especially if accompanied by fasting, yet that even
then it n?ust not be looked upon as a matter of
course, since it is not a gift essentially necessary to
salvation; 3rdly, That it cannot be right for any
person to bind himself irreversibly to celibacy, be-
ciiuse, supposing him to have the gift at present, he
cannot be certain how long it may be continued to
him; and lastly. That it therefore cannot be right
for classes of persons, of either sex, to be required to
bind themselves by such an irreversible vow, because
by that means a snare is laid for the conscience, and
some will find themselves under a necessity of sin-
ning, if in no other way, at least by breaking their
vow.

From these words of our Lord I come to the con-
sideration of two passages in St. Paul's Epistles ; the
first in which he speaks by divine inspiration ', the

' 1 Cor. vii. l—U.

other in '
this distil
her transl
I am aw(
tioned.
equally v
so much
judgment
will not h

What
which he
to say. ]
be contei
which pn
that it w
oppositior
thing of
, that celibi
I good in t
set, that
yet for so
mass of
speak by
I Nay he c>
state, suf
God to re
I would t
' from the
or Midou

• * /

timt (Mirist
that spcciul

diffcrcnco to

it, is clearly

ivo this say-

from this it

be expected

n for a reli-

1 of England

lat although,

ed to prayer,

it that even

a matter of

necessary to

iglit for any

celibacy, be-

,t present, he

continued to

not be right

e required to

vow, because

iscience, and

essity of sin-

eaking their

e to the con-
^pistles ; the
(iration ', the

other in which he gives his own judgment '. I make
this distinction, because the Church of England, in
her translation of the epistle, evidently makes it ; but
I am aware that the propriety of it has been ques-
tioned. If, however, we consider both portions as
equally written under inspiration, my case will be
so much the more strengthened. In any event the
judgment of an apostle, and such a one as St. Paul,
will not be disputed by many.

What were the particular inquiries in reply to
which he wrote this chajjter it may not be easy
to say. In the first passage, however, he appears to
be contending with the Jewish notion, and one
which prevailed to a considerable extent in Greece,
that it was the duty of every man to marry. In
opposition to this idea he declares that marriage is a
thing of permission, and not of commandment, and
that celibacy and widowhood are conditions equally
good in themselves. For after affirming ai the out-
set, that chaste celibacy is a state good in itself, and
yet for some reasons recommending marriage to the
mass of mankind, he goes on to say, " But this I
speak by permission, and not of commandment.
Nay he even declares his preference for the unmarried
state, supposing that persons have the power from
God to remain in that state without a snare. " For
I would that all men were even as I myself:" (which
from the whole context must imply either virginity
or widowhood ;) " but every man hath his proper

' 1 Cor. vii. 25—40.

V
■i

:iH

gift of" God, out' utter tliis inaniier and anotlior after
that." It is wortiiy of obsorvatioii, tliat all this is
said /// fhf (t/isfrart, and without any roferonce to
[•articular times or circumstances, and that it lies in
that part of the chapter which is undeniably written
by divine inspiration. And does not the whole
passage, es[)ecially the apostle's declaration, that " it
is good for a man not to touch a woman," his
expressed wish that all men were like himself, and
his assertion that marriage is a thing ])ermitted, and
not commanded, show that ho regarded celibacy as,
on some accounts, a higlmr state ?

In the second part thr apostle ajtpears to be reply-
ing to an inquiry dictated by a very diH'erent school ;
namely, that of those who doubted whether it was
not desirable to keep their daughters altogether un-
married. In stating this to have been the question,
I am not ignorant that another interpretation of this
part of the cha])tcr has been pro])osed ; but since, if 1
should adopt this more recent interpretation, I should
be deciding as an individual against the Church of
which I am a minister, I prefer to adhere to the
evident intention of " t\w authorized translation ;"
which supposes such a (juestion as I have suggested.
In replying to the question, however, whatever was
the nature of it, St. Paul does not confine himself
to the female sex, but lays down ])rinciples appli-
cable to both. lie gives his judgment, that, at all
events, during the existing [u-essure of persecution,
it was most desirable for all persons to remain un-

agani.

(I anotlier after
liat ail this is
y rciierenco to
1 tliat it lioH ill
eniably Miitten
not tlio wliolo
•atioii, tliat " it
a woman," liis
CO liiniscif, and
permitted, and
led celibacy as,

irs to bo ro|)ly-
rt'orent school :
vlietlier it was
altogether un-
1 the question,
•etation of this
; but since, if I
atiou, I should
the Church of
adhere to the
I translation ;"
ave suggested,
whatever was
[>nfino himself
inciples appli-
nt, that, at all
•f persecution,
o remain un-

married, Ht» long as they did not Hud celibacy a snare
to their conscieiu'es ; and therefore, that where
j)arents found that no evil was likely to arise from
keeping their daughters unmarried, it was most
advisable that they should do so.

JJut in the course of the discussion, St. Paul brings
forward principles which do not aj)ply ])eculiarly to
times of persecution. And if wc are to adopt the
whole of what ho has said, we nuist not only admit
his decision uj)on the point immediately before him,
but also the principles which he lays down incident-
ally in deciding that point : and I press this observa-
tion, because most Protestant conmientators, fearful
ai)parently lest so great an apostle should be found
to u])hold religious celibacy in the .ibstract, have
endeavoured to bind down his decision to the ])arti-
cular case which he immediately had in hand, and to
others of a similar character. But where he says,
" lie that is unmarried careth for the things that
belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord ;
but he that is married careth for the things that are
of the world, how he may please his wife ;" and
again, " The unmarried woman careth for the things
of the Lord, that she may be holy, both in body and
in sjiirit ; but she that is married careth for the
things of the world, how she may please her hus-
band;" T think I am not making too strong an
assertion in saying that his remarks apply to all
ages and to all countries. Tn ftict, does not our own
experience and observation, at this distance of time

aiul place, prove the assertion to be correct ? He
does not of course intend to assert this of all un-
married and married persons indiscriminately ; but
what he does intend evidently is, that supposing the
unmarried and the married to have an equal intention
of serving the Lord, the married person has stronger
temptations on the side of the world than the un-
married. The very affection and consideration for
each other's weaknesses, which not only nature would
prompt us to in the wedded state, but the Gospel
expressly requires, becomes a temptation to go
further in humouring each other's foibles than the
Gospel would authorize. In the unmarried state we
have our own follies alone to contend with, and
we do not feel bound to show them any (quarter ; in
the married state we have those of another, which
we feel bound to treat with respect, or at all events
with delicacy ; and the more amiable the disposition
of either party, the stronger will be the temptation to
that party. These are observations applicable to all
ages and countries ; and they show that where the
object is to devote one's self to distinctly religious
objects, a state of celibacy is in the abstract prefer-
able ; nay, that the ordinary walk of a religious life
is easier to the unmarried than to the married '.

riage.

' Mr Taylor is obliged to grant " the practical advantages of

a single life, in relation to extraordinary labours of

evangelic zeal, or to any circumstances under which a Christian
might think himself or herself free to use the privilege of ' wait-
ing upon the Lord without distraction.""

correct ? He
this of all un-
iminately ; but
; supposing tlie
3qual intention
>ii has stronger
I than tlie un-
nsideration for
ly nature would
)ut the Gospel
ptation to go
(ibles than the
arried state we
end with, and
ny (piarter; in
another, which
ir at all events
the disposition
3 temptation to
plicable to all
lat where the
nctly religious
ihstract prefer-
a religious life
married '.

icnl advantages of

inary labours of

ivhich a Christian

ivilege of ' wait-

But although this consideration may induce those
persons to remain in celibacy, to whom that state
itself presents no snare, yet it can impose no obliga-
tion upon those who have not the necessary gift. It
may lead them to seek it ; and even by those more
muisual means, which are expressly pointed out by
our Lord as useful for the attainment of extraordi-
nary gifts. But, on the other hand, there is this
opposite consideration, that if we are called to mar-
riage, with its higher responsibilities, and stronger
temptations, there is at least the grace common to
all to enable us to cope with its difficulties ; there is
a higher degree of attainment in those who struggle
with them successfully ; and as a natural and inevi-
table consequence, a corresponding additional reward
in a future state of existence '.

So that St. Paul follows out our Lord's idea, and
explains it more fully. Christ had declared the
power of celibacy to be a divine gift, and had indi-
cated the purpose for which it was given. Now
being a divine gift, there nnist be some advantage or
benefit connected with it, having reference to the
end to which it is suited ; and that advantage St.
Paul has distinctly specified, viz. that a state of celi-
bacy offers fewer hindrances and distractions to those
who are disposed to devote themselves to the service
of God and his Church, and that it is less liable to

' I will not deny myself the pleasure of referring to the beau-
tiful language of Dr. Pusey, on the subject of inaniagc, in his
LcUcr I'cfore mentioned, p. 210.

the temptation to worklliness of spirit. Not how-
ever that celibacy disposes to piety ; but that it offers
fewer impediments to it, for those who are already
disposed to it. Neither is it at all implied that to
most persons matrimony may not be a preferable
state : on this account especially, that to those to
whom it is desirable, it supplies an honourable object
for natural passions ; and to those who use it aright,
it makes those passions holy and })ure, and frc»m a
curse transmutes them into a blessing. But still I
apprehend it must be acknowledged that it does
become to both parties an inducement to think of
the things of the world, in order to gratify each other,
and minister to each other's weaknesses.

It will be said perhaps, that in this passage St. Paul
is merely expressing his private opinion. It may be
so : but I imagine it is an opinion corroborated by
the experience of most of us ; and whether it be so
or not, even the private opinion of such a })erson as
St. Paul, favoured as he was by the continual special
aid of the Holy Ghost, cannot be put upon the same
footing as the opinions of any ordinary Christian.

There is another passage which has a less powerful
bearing upon the subject, inasmuch as it is not in
itself so indisputably clear: I mean that in the 14th
chapter of the Book of the Revelation. In this
chapter St. John sees in a vision 144,000 standing with
the Lamb on Mount Sion, having his Father's name
written in their forehcnuls, and he declares res))octing
them, " These arc they which were not defiled with

•it. Not how-
ut that it offers
/ho are already
implied that to
e a preferable
at to those to
nourable object
o use it aright,
ire, and from a
ig. But still I
d that it does
;nt to think of
,tify each other,
les.

)assage St. Paul
on. It may be
orroborated by
hether it be so

ch a person as
)ntinual special
upon the same
f Christian,
a less powerful
as it is not in
lat in the 14th
ition. Tn this
standing with

Father's name
ares resjiecting

nt defiled with

women, for they are virgins. These are they wliich
follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These
were redeemed from among men, being the first-
fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their
mouth was found no guile; for they are without
fault before the throne of God."

We cannot, I say, argue with absolute certainty
from this passage. But it surely is remarkable, that
the immediate attendants upon Christ in heaven, and
those who are represented as in constant attendance
upon him (" who follow him whithersoever he goeth,")
should be those who have never married. Nay, the
very form of the expression is remarkable : for it is
not said, " they are virgins, for they have not defiled
themselves with women," which would simply imply
that they were strictly chaste, whether married or
unmarried : but " they were not defiled with women,
for they are virgins."

It is not however to be hastily concluded that
there is any implication of defilement in marriage,
(for that would be directly contrary to another pas-
sage of Scripture,) but simply that they were so far
from having sustained any pollution, that they had
not even tasted of lawful pleasure.

It is, I know, affirmed that the expression is alto-
gether figurative or mystical, and that nothing more
is meant than that they were not in any sense tainted
with idolatry, false worship, or heresy". But there is

' This is Mr. Taylor's; view, and he contends, that " if these

'■s

this strong objection to any sucli interpretation ; that
in the Book of the Revelation there is no other spi-
ritual whoredom spoken of but that with " the great
whore," who is never spoken of in the plural form.
There are no doubt passages of Scripture in which
idolatry is spoken of under the figure of adultery :
but then the guilty party is supposed to be a wife
who is unfaithful to lier husband, and not a virgin
who forfeits her chastity, still less an unmarried man
who has become a profligate. The passage which
goes the nearest to support the figurative interpreta-
tion is that where St. Paul, speaking to the Co-
rinthians, says, " I have espoused you to one husband,
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."
But even here the Apostle is merely using the
well-known figure of the prophets with a slight
clinnge. If a virgin is spoken of, it is a virgin
espoused. And he is not speaking of individuals, but
of the Church collectively. He does not say " chaste
virgins," but " a chaste virgin." Moreover he paints
the Church as a female, which is not the case with
regard to those spoken of in the Revelation. In
short, my own conviction is, that there is not a single
passage, the analogy of which will bear us out in
giving to this the figurative meaning which modern

terras are to be understood in their literal sense, so must other
terms with which they are connected, and then the endeavour to
expound the book in any portion of it will be hopeless." I trust
that I have shown that these terms stand upon different ground
from others somewhat similar.

A'i

srpretation; that
i is no other spi-
with " the great
the plural form,
ripture in which
ure of adultery:
led to be a wife
md not a virgin
i unmarried man
I passage which
ative interpreta-
ing to the Go-
to one husband,
irgin to Christ."
;rely using the

with a slight

it is a virgin
individuals, but
lot say " chaste
'eover he paints

the case with
Revelation. In

is not a single
3ear us out in

which modern

ise, so must other
I the endeavour to
lopeless." I trust
n different ground

commentators in general have agreed to ])ut upon it.
And I can scarcely believe that any person acquainted
with tlie figurative language of the Bible would have
felt himself justified in departing from the literal
meaning, had it not been for the dread of giving sup-
port to Popish abuses, or of finding in Scripture a
dignity attached to celibacy, whicli our hereditary
bias has taught us to regard as unscriptural. But I
think it must be granted by every unprejudiced mind,
or, if that be an impossible supposition, by every mind
which regards truth as an emanation from God, and
therefore to be cherished wherever found, that no
dread of conseot-ences should deter us from adopting
that interpret; " ■'■ of Scripture which sound criticism
decides to be the correct one ; especially where, as is
here unequivocally the case, that interpretation is
supported by the voice of the early Church. If all
men had studied the New Testament with the bias
which requires a figurative interpretation of such a
passage as this, should we ever have escaped from
the errors and superstitions which once possessed our
native Church ; which may, one and all, be supportev'
by forced interpretations of Scripture ?

Mr. Taylor takes an objection, that " such an in-
terpretation excludes from the privileged quire
several of the Apostles':" but it does not appear that
there is not a quire higher than this, in which the
Apostles may be included. He asks again " What

' P. 297.

lias been the general moral condition of those whom
it must include ?" In raising this difficulty, however,
he forgets that they are by the hypothesis " blame-
less," and therefore can only be those unmarried
Christians who have kept themselves pure.

ffl*S>*'*''^Mi^

These

directly

coiitainc

flow so

said to 1

First,

which t<

eiders al

desirous

so ; and

the light

subjects

of us bu

whom al

the eart

good; w

meeknes

self-sacri

that we

)f those whom
^ulty, however,
;hesis '* blame-
ose unmarried

re.

oriAPTER irr.

These appear to be all the passages which bear
directly upon the subject ; and from the princi])les
contained in them, there are some conclusions which
flow so naturally and evidently, that they may be
said to be necessary corolhries.

First, then, it must surely be evident that the spirit
which too much prevails in our own times, which con-
siders all persons, or at least all women, as necessarily
desirous of marrying, and yet despises them for being
so ; and regards those, who remain long unmarried, in
the light of disappointed adventurers, and as proper
subjects of banter and jest, is an improper spirit. Few
of us but must have known persons in this condition,
whom all would regard as amongst the excellent of
the earth ; whose lives have I een spent in doing
good; who have given examples of patience, and
meekness, and humility, and self-denial, and in short
self-sacrifice, which most of us would be glad to hope
that we could imitate. And we must be perfectly

4.S

seiisii)io tliat iiiany of tliesc liave expressly abstaiiicil
from marriage, from the disinterested wish to devote
themselves to the care of aged relatives, or the briiig-
hig up of the children of others. Now we surely
must feel that such a character is much more ele-
vated and unselfish than tliat of those who marry ;
and that it is a kind of sacrilege to make persons
like these the subjects of a heartless jest. And if
we admit this in the case of those who thus abstain
from motives of benevolence towards others, how
much more must we confess it, in i-egard to those
who thus deny themselves from the desire of devoting
themselves more unreservedly to the promotion of
religion ! But this is not the only jioint. For when
we consider that our Lord himself evidently speaks
of the capacity for celibacy as a divine gift, who can
tell whether we may not be mocking at the results
of God's special favour ? And when we reflect
further, that he has likewise encouraged jiersons to
remain in celibacy from religious motives, and for
the special advancement of his kingdom, saying,
" lie that is able to receive it, let him rcceire it" who
can say what real sacrilege we may commit in in-
dulging such a habit ; whether we may not, in some
cases, be doing our best to bring to nought the coun-
sel of the Lord, and hinder the strengthening or
extension of his kingdom, by entangling those in
worldly and selfish cares, who might have been em-
])loyed on higher errands ? This of course has not
})een thought of: and to some, from its novelty, it

pressly Jibstainod
(1 wisli to devote
vcs, or the bring-
Now we surely
much more ele-
lose who marry ;
D make j)ersons
ss jest. And if
vho tlms abstain
rds others, how
regard to those
3sire of devotin<>-
le j)romotion of
oint. For wl)en
evidently speaks
16 gift, who can
g at the results
hen we reflect
aged i)ersons to
lotives, and for
ngdom, saying,
receive it" who
commit in in-
ay not, in some
ought the coun-
rengthening or
igling those in
have been em-
course has not
its novelty, it

may bear somewhat of a fanciful aspect. But I
appeal to every reflecting, every candid mind, whe-
ther it does not inevitably follow from .in impartial
study of the Standard of all truth.

There is also a very i)revalent feeling connected
with this habit. I mean that by which nearly every
young person (and especially every young woman)
is impelled by the opinion of others, and indepen-
dently of his own wishes and inclinations, to seek
out a matrimonial connexion as one of the great
ends of earthly existence. There can be no doubt
whatever, even looking at the matter witli the mere
eye of common sense, that much mischief is done by
this prevailing impulse : that not only are many
driven into matrimony, who Mould have been well
enough contented with a single life, (if left to their
own feelings,) and would have been highly useful in
it ; but that many likewise, who remain from various
causes unmarried, are rendered unhappy in that state
solely by the pernicious influence of general feeling.
The one have no peculiar desire for marriage, but the
spirit of society dictates it to them ; and tlioy comply,
often to the ruin of their usefulness b) being involved
in worldly cares, — often to the degradation of their
characters, by the various arts and manoeuvres they
have recourse to, that they may not be left behind
in the forlorn list of the unmarried, or by tlie petty
shifts to which an incompetency to the management
of ordinary affairs afterwards reduces them. The
other seek it without success, become debased by

unworthy arts in the pursuit of it, and are frctti'd
and vexed for tlie remainder of their lives by tlu-
disappointment. And thus characters which, for
aught we know, might have been unsulUed by arti-
fice or selfishness, are almost irredeemably degraded,
and valuable powers are lost to society, and to the
Church of Christ, because misdirected, or discouraged
from flowing in their natural channel. These, and
similar considerations, must surely show that this
feeling is altogether a mistaken one. And when wo
come further to view it in the light of Scripture, and
to perceive that it not only interferes unjustifiably
and cruelly with individual liberty, and perniciously
both with individual character and with the general
good, but also opposes itself, as it must do in many
cases, to a direct appointment of Heaven, and makes
useless the gifts of God, it surely must appear that
it ought by all means to be abandoned and discou-
raged.

And if this be the case with regard to Ciiristians
in general, I think it must appear to be especially
the case wi<^h regard to the clergy. For although
no doubt every private Christian is bound to pro-
mote the kingdom of God, yet every one acknow-
ledges that this is their peculiar office. If thereforo
persons of any class ought to be free from tempta-
tions to a worldly spirit, so as to serve the Lord
without distraction, it must be those of the sacred
order. And ye^t it must be familiar to many of us,
that it has been a current opinion, nay, maintained

Tj]

aiul aro fretted
fir lives by tlu;
ters which, for
nsullied by arti-
nably degraded,
iety, and to the
, or discouraged
el. These, and
show that this
And when we
f Scripture, and
•es unjustifiably
md perniciously
nth the general
lust do in many
Lven, and niakes
ust appear that
ned and discou-

rd to Christians
o be especially
For althougli
; bound to pro-
ry one acknow-
s. If therefore
3 from tempta-
serve the Lord
} of the sacred
to many of us,
nay, maintained

by somv^ as a precept of Holy Writ', that clergy-
men, of all men, should be married; and a constant
advice to young cleigyinen, having jKirochi.al charge,
to enter with all speed into that deeply resjmnsible
state, without any tlie least doubt suggested or im-
])lied, whether to some of them celibacy may not be
a preferable condition. If, however, the considera-
tions I have brought forward have any weight, it
* must, I think, ai)pear (unless indeed it be contended
that marriage in the present day brings with it
peculiar cd'emptions from care) that such o[)inion
and advice are altogether mistaken and most per-
nicious.

Let it not, however, be supposed that I am advo-
cating the celibacy of the whole body of the clergy
as a class. I am simply contending, that, as our
Lord has informed us that God has bestowed on
pome men the gift of continence, and that it is ad-
visable for such persons to avail themselves of that

Mr. Taylor has taken this ground ; and because St. Paul
has directed that the person vho desires to enter into holy orders
should be " the husband of one wife," he contends (pp. 109. 305.
399.) that he must needs be a married man. Now there is no
doubt that St. Paul might have had such a meaning in his words ;
but I imagine that most persons will allow that the natural mean-
j^ng of the Apostle (especially taking into consideraticu what hs
has said in favour of celibacy) is, that candidates for the sacred
ministry should either have been only once married, which was
the prevalent interpretation in the earliest age, or should not
have divorced one wife to marry another, (a common custom with
Jews and heathens,) which was the interpretation of Theodoret.

D -2

gilt for tiio furtliomiice of his kingdom; ami St. I'uul
has infoniic'd us how it may be useful to that end,
by leaving us at liberty to promote religion without
let or hindrance : and since it is the especial busi-
ness of the clergy to promote piety in others, they
of all men sliould not bo seduced l)y stress of public
sentiment into tlirowing away a gift which many of
them may liaply ])0S8ess. From the very nature of
the case this cannot include the whole body of the
clergy ; for it cannot be denied that there are many
im])ortant ends to be answered by a married clergy,
which nothing else can supply ; and therefore no
doubt (fod has communicated to each his gift, some
after this manner and some after that '.

Besides the general reasons for protesting against
the current feeling upon this point, particularly as
regards the clergy, there are others derived from the
circumstances of these times. And on that ground
Ave may avail ourselves of the Ai)ostle's authority to
the full, even supposing that we could not upon
abstract and general grounds. For although this is
not a time of persecution, as was tliat in which St.
Paul lived, yet it cannot be denied that the Church
is under a kind of stress at this period which it does
not always sustain. Independently of a pressure
from without, it is well known that there is a
demand for greater exertion from all the friends of
the Church, to enable her not merely to keep her

' See Dr. Pusey's Letter, p. 214.

irronn<l, b
through t
[)assed av
become a
clergy coi
vate the s
also willii
arises fror
an unusui
and ment
that the i
to the di
denied, th
ties and d
and activ
have none
their sup
labour oi
the greati
with all
this age
dance, ai
troversy
which de
attained
and thouj
up, as th£
the educ!
added an
the prese

St. Tuul

tliut end,
•n witliout

eijil busi-
hcrs, they

of public
1 many of
nature of
xly of the

are many
iod clergy,
3roforo no
gift, some

ng against
icularly as
1 from the
at ground
ithority to

not upon
gh this is

which St.
lie Church
ch it does
I pressure
here is a
friends of

keep her

ground, but also to regain that which she Imd lost
through the supineness of the generation which has
passed away. It is equally well known, that it has
become a matter of great difficulty to find a body of
clergy competent to occupy the ground and to culti-
vate the soil of the out-stations of the Church, and
also willing to undertake that duty. This difficulty
arises from two sources ; viz., that such posts re(|uire
an unusual degree of activity and zeal, both bodily
and mental, united with prudence and temper, and
that the incomes are in most cases quite inadequate
to the duty to be performed. Now it cannot be
denied, that men unencumbered with })ersonal anxie-
ties and duties are better suited to the engagement
and activity of such stations, and that those who
have none dependent on them must require less for
their support. To this necessity for augmented
labour on the part of the Clergy, we must add
the greater need of theological information to cope
with all the errors, both old and new, which
this age appears to furnish in never-failing abun-
dance, and more especially to sustain the con-
troversy effectually with the partizans of Rome;
which degree of knowledge cannot so easily be
att.ained by those who are distracted by the cares
and thoughts of the world, and whose time is taken
up, as that of many married clergymen must be, in
the education of their children. To this must be
added another consideration, viz. that the habits of
the present day render it all but impossible for a

married clergy to be supported in comfort upon a
large proportion of the benefices; and thence that
many of those who are married are constrained, either
to accept pluralities, or to employ themselves in some
other pursuit, which withdraws their attention from
professional duties, and wastes the powers which
should have been devoted to them. All these cir-
cumstances combine to show that the present is an
age, almost equally with that of St. Paul, in which it
is desirable for as large a proportion of the clergy as
possible to be even as the Apostle was, if not during
their whole lives, at least during the earlier part of
them. Neither ought this, I think, to be deemed a
hardship : for even then tliey would only be placed
in the same predicament as young men of corre-
sponding stations in other walks of life, who, for the
most par* art uebarred from marrying at an early
age from aiolives < f ordinary prudence. And surely
some amo.igs' the clergy may be expected to act with
the same prudence and lelf-denial ! Surely it is not
unreasonable to look to the sacred order for ex-
amples of celibacy united with chastity, to that ex-
tensive portion of the community to which I have
adverted. Why should not even those whose pur-
pose it is to marry ultimately, exhibit as nmch pa-
tience and forbearance as are required from their
equals amongst the laity ?

And even if there were a degree of hardship in
thus acting, is the time come when the ministers
of Christ are no longer to " endure hardness " in his

service f
towns an(
tion wors
there are
a differen
which no
who, in
themselv(
the kingd
very acco

I am
myself op
to stand
present c
bacy of (
way for r
lence of
general (
he will
writers o
my objec
pressed ;
those mi
known t
of their
for instai
tical cor
])arting

' See I'l

ifort upon a
thence that
rained, either
jlves in some
tention from
owers which
Ul these cir-
Dresent is an
1, in which it
tiie clergy as
if not during
irlier part of
be deemed a
ily be placed
en of corre-
, who, for the
^ at an early
And surely
3d to act with
irely it is not
rder for ex-
f, to that ex-
vhich I have
e whose pur-
as nmch pa-
d from their

r hardship in
;he ministers
Iness" in his

service ? Is this age, in which many in our crowded
towns and cities have to be reclaimed from a condi-
tion worse than that of the heathen, one in which
there are no public and marked examples required of
a different and more severe kind of religion than that
which now prevails ; one more akin to that of those
who, in the apostolical and primitive ages, spent
themselves, and relinquished wives and children for
the kingdom of heaven's sake, and to whom, on that
very account, our Lord promised a reward ' ?

I am fully aware that in thus contending I lay
myself open to the charge, which Mr. Taylor appears
to stand ready to fix upon any person who, at the
present crisis, advocates celibacy ^ especially the celi-
bacy of clergymen, viz. that I am only feeling the
way for reintroducing the idea of " the angelic excel-
lence of viiginity," and its ancient consequence, the
general celibacy of the sacred order ; and no doubt
he will class me with those pestilent persons, the
writers of the Oxford Tracts. I can only say, that
my objects are neither more nor less than I have ex-
pressed ; that I am so far from acting in concert with
those much abused persons, that I am but slightly
known to two of them ; and that I disapprove some
of their publications almost as heartily as Mr. Taylor ;
for instance, Mr. Froude's " Remains," and the prac-
tical conclusions of the Tract on " Reserve in im-
j)arting Religious Knowledge," together with the

' See Piisey's Letter, p. 2 IT).

See pp. 101. 388. 389.

" Lectures on the Scripture Proof of the Doctrines
of the Church," which, if read by undisciplined
minds, appear to me calculated to produce infidelity
or popery. But no fear of misrepresentation will, I
trust, deter me from the pursuit of truth, nor from
its defence when put forth by others, if circum-
stances appear to call upon me to defend it : and I
freely confess that I shall esteem myself only too
happy if my lot may be with such persons as they in
the great day of general doom. Humility, devotion,
and charity, and even " submissiveness," must be
better preparatives for the last account, than self-
sufficiency, presumption, hasty imputation, and the
spirit of the scorner.

TllK END OV I'AkI" I.

i The two

I to be, tlia

I moral co;

fas to ent
objection
Mr. Tayl
pr.ictice«

1. reference
^principle?

[Church
^the very

[every pa
tinned

Iknown tl
ilways C(
trine or

Fin the as

Gilbert & lltviNOTON'i Frinters, St. Julin's Square, London.

the Doctrines

undisciplined

luce infidelity

ntation will, I

uth, nor from

rs, if circum-

fend it : and I

yself only too

sons as they in

ility, devotion,

ess," must be

int, than self-

ation, and tlie

PART II.

lare, London.

CHAPTER I.

:The two main objections to the early Fathers soem

to be, that they have erred in doctrine, and that the

•moral condition of the early Church was not such

as to entitle it to much deference; and these two

objections appear to have been blended into one in

Mr. Taylor's recent attack upon their principles and

if practices as connected with rcliffious ccUhaci/. In

r reference to this subject he has contended tliat false

J principles and great moral abuses prevailed in the
Church from the very earliest times subsequent to
itlie very age of the apostles; that they extended to
fevery part of the Church, and that they have con-
tinued down to our own times. Now it is well
known that the supporters of Church principles have
^always contended, that if we can discover any doc-
I trine or practice which was received by the Church
|in the age succeeding the apostles, which then uni-

versally prevailed, and wliicli lias been continued in
llie Church more or less extensively ever since, that
this by itself is an argument, and one of the very
strongest kind, that such doctrine or practice is
of divine origin ; ?nd consequently, that whosoever
impugns such a doctrine, or would do away witli
such a practice, must bring authority of the most
infallible kind in opposition to it. In s) rt, we con-
tend that, with regard to such doctrine or practice,
it is, in fact., impossil)le to produce divine authority
in contravention of it.

But tlic opponents of Church principles turn round
upon us and say, Your notion is very good in theory,
but in ])ractice it entirely fails. We can produce
both doctrine and practice answering to all these
requirements, which you yourselves, if you are truly
Protestants, must acknowledge to have been erroneous
in the highest degree; namely, the primitive doctrine
and practice of religious celibacy : and therefore the
boasted test, of "sem])e)', ubique, ct ab onniibus,"' fall>
to the ground.

They say, moreover. You have boon in tlio hal)i!
of attacliing gn^at wolgjit to tlu; authority of tin'
early Church, and of (|uoMng its writers as testi-
monies to the doctrine and polity which the aposth^
left behind them: but if tlio ]>riniitiv(> Church itscli
was ill material error from the very beginning on
this subject, what security htiw. \v(! that in any poiiii
it is to bo relied upon ? If it dopavto<l so egregionsl\
from truth u[»on this point, what security have wi

that it lu
can be tf
to go to
selves to
best can

It mus
tentous i
tained ; i
tion, for i
and that
the authi
But sine
up, it is
void of f(

In my
way, by
Holy Sci
very im[
of judgin
measure
age or c
■k right
Coincide
have gon
for our !
the su})j(
in the H
here it cf
feelings fi
polled to

I continued in
vcr since, that
ic of the very
or practice is
hat whosoever
do away witli
y of the most
I s) rt, we coii-
ne or jiracticc,
livine authority

j)les turn round
good in theory,
e can produce
ig to all these
if you are truly
I been erroneous
iniitive doctrine
id therefore the
) omnibus,"' falls

m in the liahit
uthority of llic
vriters as testi-
licli the apostlc-^
ve Church itsel!
y begiiniiuii- <'ii
hat in any poiiii
d so egregionsl}
iMMiritv have \v(

that it has not so de])arte<l upon any other point that
can be taken up ? And to what purpose is it then
to go to them at all ? Why may we not keep our-
selves to the Scriptures, and understand them as we
best can ?

It must be confessed, that it would be most por-
tentous if sucli u line of argument could be main-
tained ; if it could be proved that our own Reforma-
tion, for instance, was based upon insecure princinles,
and that all the appeals of our standard writers, from
the authors of the Homilies downwards, were futile.
But since such a line of argument has been taken
up, it is useful to meet it, and to show how utterly
void of foundation it is.

In my former remarks I endeavoured to clear the
way, by showing what is the true doctrine of the
Holy Scripture on uie subject, which of course is
very important to be noticed ; because if, instead
of judging of the Fathers by the won! of God, we
measure them by the prejudices of any particular
age or country, we may indeed possibly come to
a right conclusion, if those prejudices hapjten to
coincide with the doctrine of the Scripture : but we
have gone upon a wrong princijile, and have set uj>
for our standard the judgment of men. If indeed
the subject were one which was dark and doubtful
in the Scripture, the case might be different; but
here it can scarcely be called so. Even those whose
feelings are totally iii an opposite direction, are com-
pelled to grant in the main the conclusions T drew ;

and evcMi if it. were othorvviso, tlio Scripture is not
therefore to be reckoned doubtful, because prejudiced
])ersons refuse to acknowledge its plain meaning. If
we grant this, wo shall open the way to universal
scepticism.

The conclusions, then, which I drew from the Word
of God were, that He has given to some the gift
of continency for the extension and support of his
kingdom : that marriage is a state in which it is
abstractedly more difficult to serve God without dis-
traction than a state of celibacy : that to the mass of
persons marriage notwithstanding is, from the con-
stitution of their nature, most desirable: that by
those to whom God has vouchsafed the gift of con-
tinency, celibacy is most properly chosen as being in
itself a state in which they who are thus gifted cai'
best promote the honour of God and the extension
of his kingdom : and that celibacy is therefore not
to be disparaged or discouraged, but rather to be
acknowledged as a state of privilege, and in some
respects higher than that of matrimony. These
conclusions are fill either distinctly laid down in
Scripture, or directly implied in what is distinctly
expressed.

It appears to me in vain to say that these vie^vs
may lead to an over-exaltation of celibacy, and to ii
direct disparagement of matrimony. 1 am quite
prepared to grant that they may; nay, more, I am
prepared expressly to show that they have done so :
but that does not jirove them to be wrong. It only

]>roves t
extremes

With
myself tc
J shall e]
lor's Stat
scrij)tura]
on the SI
either ex
connectet
practice
general c
and oppo]
those less
from the

The fir
epistle of
and in t
those wh
remain in
let him
he is lost

' §5.

' The Ln
ft is putting
rifi))v rov K
any authoril

' This ar
irXiov ; but
(o otlicr sen
phrases it t

f)l

iripturc is not
use prejudiced
1 meaning. If
y to universal

from the Word
some the gift
support of his
in which it is
)d without dis-
to the mass of
from the con-
able: that by
le gift of con-
sen as being in
ihus gifted ca;-
the extension
s therefore not
t rather to be
?, and in some
imony. Tliese
laid down in
lat is distinctly

liat these views
ibacy, and to ii
1 am quite
nay, more, I am
^ have done so:
wrong. It only

j)roves that they are capable of being pushed to
extremes : and what truth is not thus capable ?

With these views, then, I purpose to address
myself to the writings of the primitive Church ; and
I shall endeavour to show, in opposition to Mr. Tay-
lor's statements, that the sub-apostolical age was
scri])tural on this subject : that corruption of doctrine
on the subject came in gradually, and from sources
either extrinsical to the Church, or not necessarily
connected with celibacy : that no great corruption of
practice followed in the sub-apostolical age, and no
general corruption for many ages after: and if life
and opportunity are granted me, I trust to point out
those lessons on the subject which we may fitly draw
from the whole history.

The first notice we have of the subject is in the
epistle of St. Ignatius to Polycarp ' and his Church ;
and in this epistle St. Ignatius has this advice to
those who remained in celibacy. " If any is able to
femain in chastity in honour of the Lord of the flesh ^,
let him so remain without boasting. If he boasts,
he is lost ; and should he be more highly thought oP

^ The Latin version has " in honour of the Lord's flesh ;" but
ft is putting a force upon the original so to render it. It is th:
Tifi)]v Tov Ji^v^iov 7J/C (Taphoc : and there is no various reading of
any autliority.

' This appears to be the most natural rendering of idf yiioniO]
irKuiv ; but the Latin version seems to have led all the interpreters
to other senses. This version gives si videri vclit. Smith para-
phrases it thus : Si se magis cequo spcctandum cognosce ndumque

tlian the bisliop, he is corruiited." Here we find iio
unscriptural principle even liiiited at. To clioosu
cehbacy with a view to the honour of liiin who is
liortl of the flesh e(iually with the s|)irit, seems to hv
only anotlier way of h)okin^ at the scriptural idea ot
doinii' it for the kinijdoin of God's sake. ]Jut wc
have no doubt a hint at a practical abuse, namely,
that some mIio had the gift were disposed to boast of
it, and that some had begun to attach undue valuo
to the gift when seen in otliers. This, I say, a})peai>
to be hinted at, although not expressly stated. But
what does it amount to ? Is this " one of the worst
abuses" of religious celibacy ? Would to God it was.
Is it even peculiar to celibacy ? Is it not what all
God's gifts are liable to? Do Ave not find in the
epistles of St. Paul himself that the gift of tongues
gave occasion to vainglory in the j)ossessors, and to
their being unduly exalted by those who heard them?
Nay, more, to all parties actually sjtting themselves
uj) against, not merely their bishoj), but one of the
very inspired apostles ? Do we see any thing un-
natural in this, however lamentable? Do we hear
St. Paul discourage the exercise of the gift? nay,
rather, does he not actually say, "Desire spiritual
gifts." Is it made l)y any one to cast a slur upon the

velit, tit in al'iorum opinione cpiscopo prccfcralur : Archblsliop
Wake, If lie should desire to be more taJcen notice of: and Mr.
Jacobson, the recent editor of the Apostolical Fathers, If k
should glory over. I do not deny that it might have this sense,
but 1 have suu^^ht in vain lor any uuthurity I'ur it.

gift of 1
then sh(
the case
Corinthi
attachin
felt him
gift of ci
Exco]
pass^age,
of matrii
of c/iasfi
this was
advocate
with any
disparag(
what ot
propriet
not expi
ried, but
exprcssc
individu
was tak(
the tern
adds, eX;
the mea
correspo
been bli
though

■tft

■i

ere wo find iiu
t. To clioose
of him vvlio is
i-it, seems to hv
I'iptural idea ol
sake. 15ut wo
abuse, namely,
t)sed to boast of
,ch undue vahio
5, I say, ai)pears
ly stated. But
>no of the worst
d to God it was.
it not what all
not find in the
; gift of tongues
)Ssessors, tmd to
ho heard them?
tting themselves
but one of the
c any thing un-
? Do we hear
i' the gift? nay,
■ Desire spiritual
: a slur upon tlio

feralur : Archbishop
I notice of: and Mr.
ilical Fathers, 1/ k
light have this sense,
for it.

gift of tongues? Notliing of the kind. And why
then shouM we not look in the same manner upon
the case of religious celibacy? St. Paul cautioned the
Corintliians against tlie abuse of the gifts, and the
attaching undue imi)ortance to them ; and Ignatius
felt himself similarly called upon in regard to the
gift of celibacy.

Exception has likewise been taken against this
passage, as though Ignatius had s])oken slightingly
of matrimony in calling chaste celibacy by the name
of climtiti/ {ayviiu): l)nt until it can be shown that
this was a term sj)ecially invented by him or by the
advocates of religious celibacy, it cainiot be argued
with any fairness that he or they intended thereby to
disparage marriage. Nor, indeed, even then : for
what other term could have been used with equal
propriety? 'Ayainia, or any equivalent term, would
rot express that such persons were not c*^ly unmar-
ried, but also chaste : and when the main idea to be
expressed was that of the ahsolufe chastity of the
individuals, it is no Monder that the governing idea
was taken to include all. It is true that o-yajtiog is
the term emjiloyed by Athenagoras ^ ; but then he
adds, eXtt/Si tow /uaXXov avviataQui t«;) 0£w, which fixes
the meaning. Justin Martyr ^ uses acpOopog, a term
corresponding to ayveia. Justin, indeed, has also
been blamed for applying this term to celibacy, as
though he intended to imply that marriage was a

' Leg. 28.

/Ipol. ii. 15.

pollution. But Ckmicnt of Aloxaiulrlii, who con-
tends at great length ' for the purity and holiness of
marriage, uses u(pOopoQ in the same sense as Justin,
applying it to the son of Nicolas the deacon, who, as
well as his sisters, never married ^ And, indeed,
Ignatius himself elsewhere applies the same term
iiyvua to the i)urity of married persons, thereby show-
ing beyond a doubt that he had no idea of disparaging

marriage.

Besides the opinion of Ignatius himself, it would
perhaps appear at first sight, from a passage in his
epistles", that virgins had in his time displaced widows
as servants or dei)oidents of the Church; for ho
salutes the virgins called widmvs, without mentioning
widows at all in any other way. Whether this may
have been a peculiarity of Smyrna, that virgins acted
as deaconesses, we have no direct information : but
as we know from the Canons of various councils,
that widows, as distinct from virgins, were an order
of the Church for centuries afterwards, it is most
probable that the substitution which had taken place
at Smyrna was peculiar and local. Indeed Ter-
tullian, long after, speaks* of it as an astonishing
and even monstrous thing, that a virgin should be
reckoned amongst the widows. His words are,
" Plane scio alicubi virginem in viduatu ab annis non-

• Strom. III. vi. § 45-56.

* Strom, III. vi, § 46. TQy tKdvov riKvufv drjXtiac fiev Kara-
ytjpdaai nnpOipovr, fxtpOopof Se Ota/itli'at roy v'tot'.

' Ad Smyrn. la. ' De Virg. V eland. 1).

dinn vigi
erat episi
pitT'stari
dixerim
vidua."
custom V

The
mention
and Dio
excellent
were insi
from im|
of persoi
their ch
years of
does not
word is
seen, in
imply ce
stance t
Justin,
Antonin
that ma
ried, v\
munion
believe

But
than thi

Iriii, who con-
111(1 liolinoss of
ciiso as Justin,
leacou, who, as
And, iiuloed,
;he same term
, thereby show-
i of disparaging

mself, it woukl
passage in his
spl.accd widows
!hurch; for lie
out mentioning
ether this may
at virgins acted
formation : but
irious councils,
were an order
rds, it is most
lad taken place
Indeed Ter-
an astonishing
rgin should bo
lis words are,
u ab annis non-

OtjXdac fitv KUTu-

dnni vigiiiti collocatam : cui si (piid refiigcrii dclni-
eiJit episcopus, alitor ubicpie, salvo rcspectu disciplinie,
pra'stari potuisset, ne tale nunc miraculum (lu;
dixerim monstrum) in ecclesia denotaretur, vi«-go
vidua." This language sufficiently proves that the
custom was uncommon, even in Tertullian's time.

The only writers of the sub-apostolical age who
mention the subject are, Justin Martyr, Athenagoras,
and Dionysius of Corinth. Justin ', in showing the
excellence of the Christian religion, boasts that there
were instances every where occurring of persons who
from impurity were converted to chastity ; and even
of persons who, having become disci}»les of Christ in
their childhood, and being then sixty or seventy
years of age, had remained chaste. This, it is true,
does not necessarily signify celibacy ; but the same
word is used by Clement of Alexandria, as we have
seen, in such a connexion as almost necessarily to
imply celibacy : and this, coupled with the circum-
stance that Athenagoras, who was contemporary with
Justin, but somewhat his junior, in his Apology to
Antoninus Pius, brings forward the circumstance
that many Christians " continued to old age unmar-
ried, in the hope of having more complete com-
munion with God," has decided most persons to
believe that Justin alluded to the same thing.

But we have somewhat more decisive evidence
than this, in a prelate of great influence in those

' /iijul. ii. l.>.

^M^^Kf

G(i

(lays, but of wlioin sciuvcly jiiiy rcniuiiis liavt* oojin
^ down to UH : I moan Dioiiysius of Corinth. In tJK
time of JOust'bins tliore wvyv oxtiint no loss than
seven epistles of his to dillerent elnnvhes, in two of
Avhicli he touches uiion this .suhjoet. It seems that
Pinytus, bishop of (Jnossus in Crete, had pressed tlio
subject of celibacy upon his people; and this calls for
the fraternal advice of Dionysius, who, amou'^st other
thlnii's, exhorts him "not to lay u]»on them so lieavv
a burden, as to make celibacy a duty, but to consider
the infirmity of the <>enerality of persons'." And it
is added, that I'inytus expressed ;^reat esteem for
Dionysius and assent to what he had said: but ul
the same time it Avould seem that he took umbraiiv
at him for his interference; for altiiou^h he veiy
c«mrteously requested him to write a;»'ain, ho desires
that it nuiy bo u[»on doo]»er subjects, and su^'i^ests
to him, whether, by troatin*^ Christians always like
babes, ho does not risk their growing old before tliey
have left oil' leading strings. Dionysius has another
epistle, in which, like St.l'aul, ho treats, amongst other
things, upon marriage and celibacy. But what is
there suri)rising in all this? After St. Paul's recorded
wishes on the subject, is it wonderful that we find a
single I lollop, of more zeal than judgniont, endeavour-
ing, as ho might think, to carry out the Apostle's
ideas more fully? Natural, however, as this was,

^ Euscb. Hist. IV. xxiii. 4. M») j-japv (poprlor ETtuyayictg ru
7r£f)t ayvtiui: roltj u^iXtpolr twiTiOivui, T-z/r vt twv nuWwi' kutu-

we unuu

checked

day.

\\\> a

death of

time e<(U

the acce>

time. A

go undo:

the und(

the acts

the vriti

Dialogue

and his

course (

Athena^

an<l the

celibacy

closed f

feeling (

thing n

lowed t

eunuchs

some of

bo dea(

some a

the gift

amongs

purifyir

trastod

ins Imvo coniu
oriiitli. Ill the
t IK) loss than
c'lii's, lij two of

It SL'L'lllS tllilt

1.1(1 pressed tlic

11(1 this culls for
am()ii;^'st other
thoiii so houw

but to consider
ions'." And it
•oat ostoom for
id suid : hut at
' took unibraiic
-hou;!^!! ho vory
;Liiiiiii, iio dosiivs
s, and su^g'ostx
tins always like

old bot'oro they

iius has another

s, amongst other

But Mhat is

Paul's recorded
[ that we find ii
lont, endeavour-
t tho Apostle's
n-, as this was,

arioi' eVaVayKic ""

T(x)i' TToXXwi^ KUTU-

%V(' jininodiatcly liud tho indiscrotion icpinved and
checked by one of the most inlluuntial bishops of his

day.

Wo are now come d(twn to 125 years from tho
death of (/'hrist; i.e. we havj passed over a spaco of
time o(pially great with that winch had elapsed from
the accession of King George the First to the present
time. Within that time we have the writings which
go under the name of liarnabas and Hennas, with
the undoubted epistles of Ignatius and Polycarp, and
the acts of their martyrdom ; we have the whole of
the \Mitings of Justin JMartyr, his two Ap(jlogies, his
Dialogue with TryjdiOjhis Exhortation to the Gentiles,
and Ills E[)istlc to Diognetus, together with tho dis-
course of Tatian to tho Cjleiitiles, the Ap(dogy of
Athenagoras, and his Treatise on the Ilesnrrection ;
and the five or six allusions to the subject of religious
celibacy arc all that are to be found. Have they dis-
closed any thing unscriptural in the doctrine and
feeling of f/w Church of that age ? Do we learn any
thing more than that there were Christians who fol-
lowed their Lonl's advice, and "made themselves
eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake?" that
some of the female portion of them were admitted to
be dcaconnesses of the Church of Smyrna? that
some at that place were inclined to be proud of
the gift ? and that Christians justly exulted in this
amongs' many other proofs of the controlling and
purifying power of the Gospel, especially as con-
trasted with the impurities of paganism ? And if we

()S

take in Trenasus, we advance nearly twenty years
further, and hear no more on the subject; for he
never so much as alludes to it. So far is it from
being true that unscriptural doctrine and corrujjt
practices were connected with religious celibacy from
the beginning.

And it is well worthy of being rem.irked, that this
age is the one of most importance to us as members
of the Church of England; for in it we have our own
distinctive principles developed beyond a doubt, and
none which are opposed to us. We have infant bap-
tism, we have regeneration in baptism, we have the
three orders of clergy, we have the supremacy of
bishops, we have the apostolical succession, we have
scripture as a standard and tradition as accessary;
and we have not papal supremacy, nor transubstan-
tiation, nor, in short, any of the points in dispute
between ourselves and the Romanist on the one
hand, or the Dissenter on the other. Up to this
point we have the succession of men who had con-
versed with the disciples of the apostles ; and, up to
this time, for any thing that can be shown to the
contrary, apostolical doctrine and discipline prevailed
generally in the Church, and in all ita high places.

But we

andria ar
see reasc
large had
this subj
ideas we
These
poraries,
220, aft
twenty }
at Cart
Minor,
reason, t
and tha
confiden
his fillh
Master
which c
the offi
than th

vveiity years
)joct; for he
ir is it from

and corru[)t
celibacy from

ced, that this

as members

lave our own

a doubt, and

re infant bap-

we have the

upremacy of

sion, we have

as acccssarv;

' transubstan-

ts in dispute.

on the one

Up to this

^'ho had con-

B ; and, up to

shown to the

lino prevailed

ligh places.

CHAPTER If.

But we now come to the times of Clement of Alex-
andria and Tertullian ; and in their writings we shall
see reason to think, that, although the Church at
large had not countenanced any thing erroneous upon
this subject, yet that in some quarters exaggerated
ideas were beginning to creep in.

These two fathers were, as I have said, contem-
poraries, and appear to have died about the year
220, after having filled the public eye for about
twenty years, the former at Alexandria, the latter
at Carthage, and i)erhaps subsequently in Asia
Minor. I shall cite the former first, for the simple
reason, that he was never accused of heterodoxy, —
and that he must have enjoyed a full share of the
confidence of the Church, from the circumstance of
his filling without blame the responsible station of
Master of the Christian School at Alexandria, in
which catechumens were trained for bajitism. Even
the office of a Bishop was scarcely more important
than this ; and, although, no doubt, a ])erson might

■ 1

< .q
, -^

< tf

•4

bo appointed to fill it, who afterwards proved un-
sound, (and, therefore, the mere appointment is no
proof of orthodoxy,) yet, for a man to hold it en-
tirely without blame, he must have accorded with
the bishops and clergy of the Egyptian Church, and
in them with the Church Catliolic. Now, it is very
true that in his time we can discover that there
were corrupt notions on the subject of celibacy pre-
vailing: for some' professed to abstain from mar-
riage on the ground of its being a pollution, and
declared that they were true followers of Jesus, who
never married. But there is not the sligiitest proof
that he was aware of such opinions being held by
sound members of the Church. When he has to
contend with them he connects them distinctly with
the Gnostics ; who, however they might in many
instances escape excommunication by concealing or
disguising their real sentiments, were regularly ex-
cluded when they showed themselves in their true
colours. Now the Gnostics were of two kinds, the
profligate and the ascetic : they both agreed in
teachinff that the flesh was the work of a bein^'
inferior to the Suj)reme Being; but the former
taujiht that all actions were indifferent and could not
affect the soul, or that every one must for his own
sake try every kind of action ; the latter, that all
works of the flesh were as much as ])ossible to be
abstained from, by way of showing abhorrence of

' Strom. 111. vi. § If).

him wh(
latter cli
])erhaps
have rev
l)ut Iron
declared
records 1
qualities
Taylor in
the fanat
the Chur
AVc w
which, f]
to be th(
thorn to I
already
speaks c
regards
arcordan
itself as

tliank

' I. iii.

' Strom
fniTui. 'inro
yi'i[i()i' (Ttj.

(ivuu: irirrr,
yufiijrrov.
■* Strom

"I' jiimwy;

proved iin-

;iiR'iit is no

hold it eii-

orded wltli

liiirch, and

vv, it is very

that there

elibaey prc-

from mar-

llution, and

Jesus, who

giitest proof

ing held by

n he has to

tinctly with

^ht in many

oncealing or

regularly ex-

n their true

'o kinds, the

1 agreed in

of a being

the formei'

nd could not

, for his own

ter, that all

3ssible to be

bhorrence of

;

him who made the flesh. And it was against this
latter class that Clement had to contend. It may
perhaps be imagined that none but Christians would
liavc reverenced J( ^ sufficiently to imitate Ilim :
but Irenscus * informs us that some of the Gnostics
declared him to be of their party, and Clement '^
recoi-ds that Valentinus fancied that his body had
qualities different from those of ordinary men. Mr.
Taylor indeed, as we have already seen, contends that
the fanaticism Clement was opposing was general in
the Church : but he brings no proof of his assertion.
We will now see what were Clement's own views,
which, from his position, may be reasonably taken
to be the views of the Church ; and we shall find
them to be strictly in accordance with what Me have
already elicited from the Sacred Writings. He
speaks of the power of celibacy as a divine gift,
regards those as happy who possess it^ (in strict
accordance with St. Paul's own feeling), and the gift
itself as one for which the recipient should give
thanks^; which, however, is not to be regarded as

' 1. iii. 1. xxiv, 2. ^ Strom. III. vii. § 5.

^ Strom. HI. i. § 4. 'II/ieTr cvvovyjav jitv kiu o/c tovto Cih'

M-

fniTui. imo Oeoii /<fart()t'4fo^<tr, ixoioya^iav ce Kai T))y irein rot' ftii
yn[i()t' aif^ii'i')Tt}Ta Ouviui^ofxt}', m>fn:d(r\f.iv de Ctiv Xlyovrtc K(u
nWilXMV Tu jiufit) /3a(Tr«4£()', fi}) iroTf. ruj cokwv kuXuxj trrrdviu ku)
(liiTotj TTtcTi]' irtpl ^e rod ^Evripov yufiov, el nvpol, (ptjfrlv u airi'irT-oXoi:,
yuf^itjfrov.

■* Strom. III. xviii. § lOf). 'E^ov iXiaOui n)v (.vvuv^^iuv kutu rt!)
I'ytTl Km'iivn fitr fiifff/-)f/<«c, fv-^^apirTTdviTu ftif tv\ rfi hiOflrrtj ^('i^i/ri;
I'll fiimi'uiTH Tf ri/r urimi', (hk i ttavih tiifnTc. un'r yiynftifKOTUi,, kti-

i -t
i

; ■^

virtuous unless it bo taken up from lovo tow.ii<ls
God ', and, therefore, is to be adopted witli self-
distrust, and reverence, and gratitude, and main-
tained without vainglory towards those who marry.
Every one must recognise the sobriety of judgment
evinced in these views, and their strict accordance
with Scripture : and his estimation of religious celi-
bacy is the more worthy of notice from the copious-
ness and energy with which he contends elsewhere
for the purity of marriage ^ And if he does hint
that some took up celibacy from secondary or even
from unworthy motives, this is not a taint peculiarly
attending that state ; for it is what happens every
day in regard to any point whatever in which one
man appears better or stricter than another.

But Clement is not the only writer of this gene-
ration. There was another of a very different
stamp in another part of the Church, whose writ-
ings have come down to us, " the fiery Tcrtullian,"
a presbyter of the Church of Carthage : but before
I quote a single sentence from his writings, it will
be necessary to consider a little what importance
ought rif^Iitfully to attach to them. Tcrtullian then
cannot be quoted with confidence as a Church
writer ; for this sufficieni; reason, that for some years

<iTuc yap 6 kfjffyttoc, KTiffT)) ce >/ evi>ov)(^ici' ('ifi<pio ^e fv-^^npitTTOvi'Tuii
£i> oitj i.ra-)(9i](Tap. eI yirwrrKovm /cat lif olc tTayOiiaav.

' Strom. HI. vi. § 51. Oikj' »/ (.vtovyja irupEror, tl ynw u
uydrrifv yivotro rrfv irpuc ov 0£O)'.
" Strom. III. xii. — xiv.

i
^

before hi
trine, bu
come a w
and liavi
Now, be
terize th
and ovei
discipline
and sepa
Tertulliai
J)c Fffdi
against
thought
who had
they had
as well P
the Chu
.spiritual,
case, it
treatises
Montani
feelings
the Chu
wliere t
ness or
precise!}

But
ex])eriei
comes a
tliere hi

VO tOW.IKls

with solf-

and main-

who marry.

)f judgment

accordance

ligions celi-

thc c-^pious-

8 elsewhere

le does hint

lary or even

it peculiarly

ippens every

1 which one

her.

)f this gene-
3ry different
whose writ-
r Tertullian,"
: but before
tings, it will
; importance
rtullian then
IS a Church
ir some years

f.vya^imovvTior
ay.

before his death ho was not only a heretic in doc-
trine, but also a schismatic in discipline, having be-
come a warm partisan of the im})osture of iVlontanus,
and having quitted the Church to join his sect.
Now, besides the peculiar doctrines which charac-
terize this sect, there was a disposition to a harsh
and overexalted ])uritanism, which regarded the
discipline and practices of the Church as too lax,
and separated from it partly on that ground : and
Tertullian actually wrote a treatise, invidiously styled
De FiidicHia, against the Church, and partic 'urly
against the then Bislio}) of Home, because they
thought proper to readmit to communion persons
who had been guilty of fornication or adultery, after
they had done public j)enance ; and in this treatise,
as well as in others, he draws a broad line between
the Church and his own sect, calling the latter
.spiritual, and the former carmd. This being the
case, it must be clear to any one that those of hie
treatises which were written after ho had imbibed
Montanist principles must in many resi)ects express
feelings at variance Avith those which [)revailed in
the Church at large ; and especially upon any po'nt,
where the question was one of greater or less strict-
ness or severity of life or discipline: and this is
precisely one of those questions.

But I go further than this. For does not all
ex])erience show, that where a man ultimately be-
comes a separatist, and especially a leader of schism,
tliere has all along been the tendency or ])ropensity,

■,x,
i .q

either to singularity, or to sourness of temper, or to
mysticism, or in short, to whatever it may be which
forms the centre notion of the system he finally
adopts ? And if \ve must own this in general, an
acquaintance with the writings of Tertullian will
show that, when writing to Christians, there was
always a disposition to an excited and rigid view of
things. Tliat being the case, we shall not only be
compelled to reject as evidence of Church feeling
the decidedly Montanistical treatises, but likewise
to consult the whole of his writings with great
caution : whilst, on the other hand, if we find him
any where asserting sentiments such as we have seen
in the sacred Scriptures, and in the writings of
Clement of Alexandria, we shall be safe in con-
cluding that they were the current sentiments of
the Catholic Church in his age. Dut if he states
tilings as facts, we shall be generally right in regard-
ing them as true, especially if he appears to speak of
what came under his own knowledge : for, with the
exception that where excited, he is liable to exagge-
ration, there is no ground for charging him with
misrepresentation.

With these cautions then, which, although not al-
together unknown to Mr. Taylor, have been prac-
tically neglected by him, let us come to the writings
of Tertullian. And first us to facts; he testifies
that many in his time made themselves eunuchs,
(i. e. abstained from marriage,) for the kingdom of
heaven's sake; some from the time of their baptism:

■I

nay, that
trinionia
vii. 29.
is clearl;
another
represent
degradati
we do nc
the Chu
these mi
dencies a
treatises,
to fornic

' De Cui
liabcndas d
tcmporiuii,
ornaments,
obsignant,
voluptateni

//(/ Uxoi
cariiem suti
matrimoiii
regni coelei

De Viri.
quidem, pc
suae pracfe
ficentur a
tarii, caec(
faceret illn

' 1 Cor.

nper, or to

be which

ho finally

Toncral, an

uUian will

there was

yu\ view of

ot only be

ireh feeling

lut likewise

with great

,ve find him

■e have seen

writings of

iafe in con-

ntinients of

if he states

lit in regard-

>) to speak of

for, with the

e to exno-o-e-

ig him with

ough not al-

; been prac-

the writings

he testifies

^es eunuchs,
kingdom of

heir baptism:

I
I

nay, tliat even married persons abstained from ma-
trimonial intercourse, from taking the passage, 1 Cor.
vii. 29. in a literal sense '. This latter element
is clearly contrary to the advice of St. Paul, in
another unecjui vocal passage -. But as Tertulliau
represents them as so doing from a feeling of the
degradation of sexual intercourse, a feeling M'hich
we do not as yet find supported by any authority in
the Church we are warranted in supposing that
these might be persons of the same fanatical ten-
dencies as Tertulhan himself; who, in another of his
treatises, expressly speaks of matrimony as akin
to fornication, and distinctly dissuades from mar-

' De Cullu Fcminarum, ii. 9. Si ergo uxorcs quoquc ij)sas sic
liabendas demonstrat tanquam non liabeantur, propter aiigustias
temporum, quid sentiat dc vanis instrunientis earuin ? (i.e. their
ornaments.) Non cnim ct niulti ita faciunt, et sc spadonatui
ol)signant, propter regnum Dei tain fortem et utique permissam
voluptatem sponte poiientes ?

/Id Uxorcni, i. 5, 6. Uiiot enim sunt qui statim a lavacro
carnem suam obsignant ? Quot item qui consensu pari inter se
matrimonii debitum tollunt, voluntarii spadones pro cupiditate
regni coelestis ?

De Virgin. Veland. 10. Caateruni satis inhumanuni, si femina'
quidem, per omnia viris subditae, honorigeram notam virginitatis
suae prscferant, quasi suspiciantur et circunispiciantur et magni-
ficentur a fratribus, viri auteui tot virgiues, tot spadones volun-
tarii, caeco bono suo incedant, nihil gestantes, quod et ipsos
faceret illustres.

' 1 Cor. vii. 24, 27.

I-' 2

na<]|'«

At tlio same timo it may bo coiicodod that
tlieso persons M'orc prol)al)ly in the Clinreli, since they
are mentioned l)y him in liis tracts to his wife,
whicli were certainly written before he had taken
up such extreme views as 1 have just alluded to.

We learn again from the treatise on the veilhuj of
virgins, that there were those who were acknow-
ledged and M'vt'^nj'^.'^d as professors of virginity-;
but in what ^v.. doe not a])pear. It is not, how-
ever, necessary that we tl.ould suppose any particular
declaration. No doubt it was customary for young
women in general to marry as soon as they were
marriageable ; and the simple fact of continuing
unmarried after they were grown up, was considered
a declaration that they did so for religion's sake.

* De Exhoitatione Cast'itntis, 9. ' Krgo,' inquis, 'jam ct
primas, id est, unas nuptias destruis.' ' Nee immerito, qiioniani
et ipsae ex eo constant, quo et stuprum.'

^ De Vclund. Virg. 9. Quid proerogativic meretur adversus
conditionem suani, siqua virgo est et curneni sanctificare pro-
posuit ? § 16. Nupsisti enim Cliristo : illi trarlidisti carncni
suam ; illi sponsasti maturitatem tuam. Incede secundum
spon^i tui voluntatem.

Ad Uxnrem, 4. Et tu, adversus consilia ha;c ejus, adhibe soro-
rum nostrarum exempla, quarum nomina penes Dominum, quae
nullani formse vel fctatis occasionem, praemissis maritis, sanc-
titati anteponunt: malunt enim Deo nubere.

De Prcescr'vpt'ione HcercUcorum, 3. Si episcopus, si diaconus,
si vidua, si virgo, si doctor, si etiam martyr lapsus a regula
fuerit,

Now it a
iib()ve all
ried imii
ofirls renii
that this
only obse
tiien, wh
served, tl
with thei
jian's feel
for the ;
])utting a
oiving til
where In
young pe
j)assed th
of the
uncover(
very war
sistency
be inark(
unfairnes
110 distin

' See a
^§10.
Sic nee de

feminae qu
ginitatis s
niagnificen
voluntarii,
faceret illi:

Now it appears very evident, from Tertullian's tract
above alluded to, that Christian women when mar-
ried immediately took the veil, Avhilst unmarried
girls remained unveiled. It a])[)ears highly j)robable
that this usage was not confined to Christians, but
only observed more strictly by them. Jn the Church
then, when virginity came to be frequently pre-
served, there rose nj) the anomaly of grown women,
with their lieads uncovered, which offended Tertul-
lian's feelings : and the tract in (piestion was written
for the ])urpose, not, as Mr. Taylor sujiposes, of
jtutting a distinction upon the ])rofessed virgins, by
ffivins: them the veil ; but of inducino- the Church
where he was to make a regulation, that every
young person whatever should be veiled, who had
passed the age of j)uberty '. Some indeed, probably
of the professed virgins, wished to preserve the
uncovered head as a distinction : but he contends
very warmly, not only on tlie immodesty and incon-
sistency of one who lived only for Christ, wishing to
bo marked out to the eye of man, but also on the
unfairness to the celibates of the other sex, who had
no distinction whatever-. All this tends strongly to

' See iibove, Part i. p. 18.

^ § 10. Adeo nihil virgiiii ad honorem de loco permissum est.
Sic iiec de aliquibus insignibus. Ceterum satis inhumanuni, si
femina; qiiidcm, per omnia viris subdita;, honorigcram notam vir-
ginitatis sute prteferant, quasi suspiciantur et circumspiciantur et
niagnificentur a fratribus, viri autem tot virgines, tot spadones
voluntarii, cseco bono suo incedant, nihil gestantcs, quod et ipsos
t'aceret illustres.

show tliat thorc was not in Tcrtnllijin's timo. anv
known cliaractoristic to mark the jn-ol'cssod virgin,

(1 til

(I til

)eyon(l that of lior contnnuni^ nnniarnod beyond tlic
cnstomary time; and conserjucntly not adopting- the
veil at the usnal time, although in other respects
she dressed like a matron, and not like a very young
])erson'. It is evid nt, however, from the wiiole
tone of the tract, that the virgius were not all so
from religious motives : that a degree of credit had
begun to attach to mere celibacy, and that some,
probably, Merc desirous of personal admiration, and
for that reason did not marry, lest they should be
compelled to conceal their charms, whilst others
ado])ted the profession from interested motives, be-
cause they were gainers by it in a pecuniary point
of view ^

There was likewise an esprit de corps creeping
lu, which led them to wish for a public distinction,
to attract others to their body ^ Against this desire

1 § 12. Quid quod etiam hx nostrae etium habitu mutationem
iL'tatis confitentur ; simulque se muliores intcllcxerunt de vir-
giuibus cducuntur, a capite quidem ipso deponentos quod fuerunt.
Vertunt capillum, et acu lasciviore comam sibi inseruiit, crinibus
a fronte divisis apertam professa; mulieritatem.

^ § 14. ^mulatio enim illas, non religio producit : aliquando et
ipse venter Deus earum, quia facile virgines fraternitas suscipit.

^ § 14. Referunt aliquando dictum a quadam, cum piiinum
qusestio ista tentata est, ' Et quomodo ceteras solicitabimus ad
hujusmodi opus?" i. e. if there were no outward distinction.
It is evident, however, that they uncovered their heads only in

Tertulliii
grave c
state of
resolutic
venting
from a
evils ha
Tcrtulliti
saw the
tinctly i
he actua
all, the
sequent
nity," 1m
stating
telling A
scmi-bai
world M

No
event ;
in its t
of it,
remedy,
ternal
express
cclibac\
evils h(

the assen
tateni sui

time, any

od virgin,

jcyoiul tlio

opting' the

r respects

very yonng

tlio Miioie

not all so

credit had

that some,

iration, and

y should bo

lilst others

notivcs, be-

niiary point

ps creeping-
distinction,
>t this desire

tu mutationem
sennit de vir-
is quod fuerunt.
serunt, crinibus

it : aliquando et
nitas suscipit.
I, cum prlnmm
nlicitabimus ad
»rd distinction.
1' licads only in

Tertnllian strongly contends, and i)oints out the
jrrave evils which would certainly arise, if the then
state of things were allowed tc continue, and some
resolution were not come to for the ])urpose of pre-
venting a virgin from being outwardly distinguished
from a married woman. Whethcu* any of these
evils had yet arisen does not appear certain : but
Tertnllian, from the existing state of manners, fore-
saw them, as they afterwards appeared more dis-
tinctly in the time of Cyprian. Not only this, but
lie actually pointed out the sources of all, or nearly
all, the mischiefs which liav(^ followed in any sub-
sequent time. " A constrained and unwilling virgi-
nity," he said, " occasions such enormities :" not as
stating what had actually occurred, but as fore-
telling what inevitably would occur in the gross and
semi-barbarous state, in which that part of the
world was.

No projdiecy can be truer, as we know by the
event ; and if he saw the real germ of the mischief,
in its then earliest indications, and warned the Church
of it, and urged in the warmest manner the true
remedy, of removing all outward distinction or ex-
ternal stimulus, however he may have used rhetorical
expressions in speaking of a pure and disinterested
celibacy, he can scarcely be charged with fostering
evils he did his utmost to prevent. Neither again is

the assemblies of Christians. § 13. Certe in ccclesia virgini-
tateni suam abscondant, quam extra occlesiam cclant.

•V*

•"■ic:
T

it to l)t! forgotten, that TcrtuUinii, in Hta'/nig tiio niis-
cliiefs, cither opL'ii or hitont, which ho witnesMoil «»r
fojirod, is spunking not of the Church univursjii, hut
only of that j)art to wiiich ho l)oh)ngo(l, tho Churcli
of north-westorn Africa, one of tho least civilizod
and most degenerate jmrtions of the Roman empire.
VVe know, in our own day, that thoro is a great dif-
ferenee in dillerent Christian countries, in regard to
particular points of morals, and even in the sanu'
c(»untry in dillerent periods; and no doubt it was so
in all ages. It is not correct, therefore, to argue
from the state of things at Carthage, that virginity
every where indicated the same abuses. Indeed
Tertullian expressly informs us, that the Church of
Corinth required ' its unmarried women to be veiled,
equally with the married ; and thus, in liis opinion,
avoided the great danger to which a contrary |)ractice
exposed those who observed, or professed to observi',
religious virginity.

Wii now see still more fully how fallacious was
the rej)resentation which Mr. Taylor made of the
object of this tract of Tertullian. His idea evidently
was, that Tertullian was sjjeaking of the peculiar
habit which his "nuns" were to wear, by way of
distinction, and as a mark of their peculiar class ;
whereas there is no evidence whatever that tlie ])ro-
fessed virgins were a class ; (although those who

' De yirg. Velanil. 8. Hodie deni(iuf virgint-s situs Corintliii
vcluut.

leceivtMl (

as they wi

great obj(

lliat Ihcrc

from otlu

their rem:

From t

we come

part of tl

pated. 'I

his langu

tho state

which M

speak of

thcc wh

more eas

celibacy,

of servin

' Ad U.

(juarum no
occasioiiern
enim Deo
vivunt, cui
tant. Ok
(lignatione
consequun
liaverunt,
cU'putantu
Lontinenti
pisceiilian
iuUitiii imi

1^ tlio niis-

itiiossutl <»i-

iversiil, hut

tlio Cliiircli

st civiliziMl

uii empire!.

I ^re.it (lif-

M regard to

I tlio saiiu'

l)t it was .so

«-', to argue

lut virginity

Indeed

) Churcli of

;() be veiled,

liis opinion,

I'ary practice

I to observe,

ilacions was
lade of the
3a evidently
the peculiar

by way of
'uliar class ;
lat the ])ro-

those who

suiis Corintliii

received church alms nmst have been ;«(

>, so long

as they were in the receipt (»f them;) and Tertidlian's
great object was to have all women veiled, in nn/cr
flint there tniijlit he no distitietion of professed virgins
from other women, except that which was made by
their remaiuing unmarried.

From the state of feeling in the Church at lar

op.

we come to Tertulliiin's own views ; although that
jtart of the subject has been in some degree antici-
pated. There can be no difficulty in conceding that
his language and his feeling as to the excellence of
the state of virginity is exaggerated. The passage;
which Mr. Taylor has (pioted ', hoAvever, does not
sj)eak of it in the abstract, lie is only speaking of
tlio'=c who, thinking with St. Paul, that holiness is
more easily preserved or maintained in a state of
celibacy, do really sacrificj inclination to the desire
of serving Ciod more perfectly, and of giving that

' Ad Uxorcvi, i. 4. Adhibe sororum nostroruni excmpla,
(juarum nomina penes Doniinuni ; quae miUam forma3 vcl aetatis
occasionem, praemissis maritis, sanctitati antepomint ; malunt
enini Deo nubere. Deo speciosae, Deo sunt pucllae. Cum illo
vivunt, cum illo sermocinantur. Ilium diebus et noctibus trac-
tant. Orationes suas, vehit dotes, Domino adsignant : ab codem
dignationem, velut munera dotalia, quotiescunque desidcrant,
consequuntur. Sic aHernum sibi bonum donum Domini occu-
paverunt, ac jam in terris non nubendo de familia angelica
dt'putantur. Talium exeii lis feminarum ad acmulationem te
contiuentiae cxercens, spiritai. afl'ectione carnalem illam concu-
piscenliam lunnabis, teinporalia el volatica desidcria I'ovniiL' vel
ictalis imujortalium bonoium coiiij)tnsationo dclendo.

timo to exercises of devotion which tliey would in
the married state be required to devote to worldly
care.^. Tliis, it is clear from other passages of this
father, was not the case with all the professed
virgins, and, therefore, he cannot be supposed to be
speaking of them all. It is not abstaining from
marriage in the abstract that he so extols, but ab-
staining from such motives. And although it is
somewhat exaggerated to say of such persons that
they " arc reckoned as belonging to the anfjelic
household ;'" it is yet an exaggeration not so very
violent, as if we supposed with Mr. Taylor that ho
was speaking of virginity in the abstract. I doubt
if most of us do not regard a young person of devo-
tional and pious habits, living not for herself, but for
God and his Church, as more akin to heaven than
to earth. And I doubt if wc should not regard
such an one's marriage as a weakness, and almost as
a disappointment. And if such feelings are experi-
enced by many, and expressed by them, in this re-
fined state of society, — refined by the longer preva-
lence of Christian principles ; can it be wonderful
that Tcrtullian, who lived in an age when faith had
to struggle not only with the flesh within, but with
a general grossness of manners without, so that he
probably saw but few exami)les of marriage from
true Christian afliection, (indeed it is very evident
that he had no conception of such a thing ',) should

have then
no doubt
sunie«l bii
what >rou
its larger
IJ

one

I X

It is scarcely conceivable that the early Christians should
have regarded this holy state altogether as we do ... . All around

Clement
from mar

us, all our

the refinein
matrimony,
its true idt
referring tc

3 religious el
marriage ti
early Chris

\ their separ
lived, anc
counteract!

^ beauty of
those who
est means
purity ? '
of papers
perusal.
' For
i, 7.) No
est a Don
carnis ist
tatis, ad

' Dc A
cceloruni,
propterci

[ey would in
to worldly
affes of this
professed
posed to be
iiiing from
tols, but ab-
hoiigh it is
)ersoiis that
the anfjelic
not so very
ylor that he
I doubt
son of devo-
I'self, but for
heaven than
I not regard
,nd almost as
s arc experi-
i, in this re-
onger preva-
e wonderful
len faith had
lin, but with
;, so that he
arriage from
very evident
ing ',) should

ristians should
. . . All around

;

liave them in an extreme degree? His opinions are
no doubt exaggerated. Self-denial with him as-
sumed l)ut one aspect, and that a sexual one : and
what Tvould have been perfectly true of it taken in
its larger sense he applies to it in its more restricted
one'. He adopts the Gnorjtic notion, reprobated by
Clement of Alexandria, of our Lord's abstinence
from marriage being an example to us ^.

us, all our laws and institutions, all the etiquettes of social life,
the refinements and graces of polished company, revolve round
matrimony, and are sustained by a recognition of its true idea ;
its true idea, I mean, in an earthly point of view, and without
referring to its sacramental nature. It is no peculiarity of the
religious character cither to assert or to feel the sanctity of the
marriage tie : with us the sentiment is spontaneous ; with the
early Christians it was in its way matter of faith, and a badge of
their separation from other men. The laws under which they
lived, and the mass of society around them, instead of aiding, were
counteracting influences. How could the essential purity and
beauty of the married state be habitually felt and remembered by
those who lived under laws which aftbrded to every one the easi-
est means of divorce, and in a state of society reeking with im-
purity?" — Brilish Magazine, June, 1840. p. 025 The series
of papers from which this extract is made will amply repay the
perusal.

' For instance, he uses language such as this : (Ad Uxorcm,
i, 7.) Nobis continentiaad instrumentum ajtemitatis dcmonstrata
est a Domino salutis, ad testimonium fidei, ad commendationem
carnis istius txhibend.x* superventuro indumento incorruptibili-
tatis, ad sustinendam novissime voluntatem Dei.

^ Dc Motiogavi'ia, 3. Ipso Domino spadonibus aperientc i-egna
ccelorum, ut et ipso spadone : ad ([uem spectans et Apostolus,
propterea et ipse castralus, continentiam mavult.

-XI

Not only this, but lie actually enunciates the
idea, no where appearing- in the Scripture, nor in the
sound Church writers down to this period, of the
abstract degradation of sexual intercourse '. This
no doubt is at the bottom of all the false notions
which have i)revailcd on the subject from his age to
the present : but I rei)eat that it now appears for the
first time in any Church writer, and it will be seen
that it is not again taken up for a considerable time
to come. Whether it arose in the Church from the
influx of Gnostic feeling I will not pretend to say ;
but it is not connected with the Gnostic doctrine,
that matter was made by an inferior being : nor do
I think that we can say with certainty that the feel-
ing is peculiarly Gnostic. Tt appears to me to arise
naturally in a person of aspiring mind, whose temp-
tations lie peculiarly that way, and who feels him-
self unable, by any endeavours he has yet made, to
separate the use from tiie abuse ; and who, more-
over, judges of all other persons by himself: and I
doubt Mhether it is not tacitly felt by the mass of
persons whose feelings have not been kept j)ure
from childhood, and who, consequently, find earthly
passion and guilt ct'crjjwiicrt' intruding, even into
lawful indulgence ".

' § 1. Niliil tunc («. c. in heaven) inter nos dedocoris voluptuosi
rcsumetur : non enim tain frivola, tarn spiirca Duus suis polli-
cetiir.

^ " They (the early Christians) lived in a state of society, to
the impurity of which modern JOurope presents no parallel, and

If we f

affords n(
harmony
we need i
systemati
his writin
Church,
of abstinc
with who
all persoi

which it is ^
quately to
passed the
Gospel. . .
had, speaki
much hardc
—British 1

• De E.
distribnc c(
species est
nativitate,
compacto,
superest ir
cxinde sex

' Ibid,
mnnium e;
scentiam
primas, id
ipsic ex ('(
niulierem
(|uia care
below.

' Ibid.

^i)

•ijites till'

nor in the

od, of the

sc •. This

se notions

liis age to

ars for the

/ill bo seen

arable time

;h from the

end to say ;

Ic doctrine,

ng : nor do

lat the feel-

me to arise

v'hose temp-

> feels him-

ct made, to

who, morc-

iself : and I

the mass of

kept ])ure

find earthly

, even into

oris voluptuosi
eus suis polli-

of society, to
J purullel, and

If we find such views as these in a treatise which
affords no distinct trace of Montanism, (excei)t its
harmony on these points with subsequent treatises,)
we need not wonder to find the same thoughts more
systematized, and more exaggerated still in those of
his writings which M'ere composed after he left the
Church. In these he takes sanctification in the sense
of abstinence from marriage'; he parallels marriage
with whoredom", and he avows his wish to dissuade
all persons whatever from marrying''. But in the

which it is difficult for us even to imagine, and still more, ade-
quately to recollect. In this abyss of pollution many of them
passed the prime of their lives before they even heard of the

Gospel Even after their reception into the Church they

had, speaking generally, to maintain a struggle with uncleanness
much harder than need fall to the lot of Christians now-a-days."
— British Magazine, May, p. 501.

' De Exhurtalione Castitatis, 1. Sanctificationem in species
distribnc complures, ut in aliqua earum deprehendamiir. Prima
species est virginitatis anativitate ; secunda virginitatis a secunda
nativitate, id est, a lavacro, quae aut in matrimonio purificat ex
compacto, aut in viduitate perseverat ex arbitrio ; tertius gradus
superost monogamia, quum post matiimonium unum interceptuni
cxinde sexui renuntiatur.

" Ibid. 9. Qua) res et viris et fen^lnis omnibus adest ad matri-
mouium et stuprum ? Commixtio carnis scilicet, cujus conciipi-
sccntiani Doininus stupro adaequavit. ' Ergo,' inquis, 'jam et
primas, id est, unas nuptias destruis.' Nee immerito ; quoniam et
ipsa) ex eo constant, quo et stuprum. Ideo optimum est homini
inulierem non atfingere : et ideo virginis principalis sanctitas,
((uia caret stiipri adfinitate. Also De liig. Veland. 10. cited
below.

■* Ibid.

J!)

midst of all tliis, it is very remarkal)le, that when lie
comes to speak of merit, he puts absolute celibacy in
a lower rank than abstaining from a second marriance';
showing, after all, that it is the seJf-denial exercised
that he thinks of most consequence, and that he
regards virginity as rather a state of ])rivilege than of
merit. It is very evident, therefore, that tiiough his
feelings on the subject were radically wrong, he is
not to be classed with those who voluntarily extolled
the merit of celibacy in the abstract, and apart from
the religious motives which ]irompted it, or sui)posed
that it M'ould have higher rewards in the world to
come. And that the subject cannot have occui)ied a
very largo portion of his thoughts may be judged by
the circumstance that tlie whole of the tracts I have
quoted, one of them containing much extraneous
matter, do not amount to more than one part in

' Ibid. 1. Prima, virginitas, felicitatis est ; nun nosse in totun;
a quo postca optabis liberari ; sccunda (virgiiiitatis a lavacro)
virtutis est ; contemnere ciijus vim optiiii.! noris : reliqua species
hactenus niibendi post niatrimoniim '^!te disjunctum, pnutcr
virtutis etiam modestioc laus est.

Ad Uxorem, I. 8. Gloriosior contincntia quae jus suum sentil ;
quae quid viderit novit. Poterit virgo felicior haberi, at vidua
laboriosior. In ilia gratia, in ista virtus coronatur. (iua?dam
enim sunt divinae liberalitatis, quacdam nostrae operationis : Qiur
a Domino indulgentur sua gratia gubernantur ; qua; ab homine
captantur studio perpetrantur.

De Virginihus Vdand. 10. Non enim et continentia virginitati
antistat, sive viduaruni, sive qui ex consensu contumeliam commu-
nem yxm recusaverunt ? Nam virginitas gratia constat, continentiii
vcro virtute.

1,1'irty of 1
whilst in
a grace, a
lie agrees
and exhil
gej\eral ir
trace of n
the Churc
may justl;
prevail at
hastily tli
tliemselvc
else groui
common 1
from very
as many (
was everj
sense St.
should
sufiiicient
posing t
attachin<
Conte
his juni(
former a
])upil an
ordained
comparii
])arts of
begun t

at when lie

celibacy in

marriage';

al exercised

11(1 that he

ege ^haii of

tlioiigh his

rong, he is

filv extolled

I apart from

or supposed

ho world to

e occupied a

)e judged by

racts I have

extraneous

one part in

nossc in totuii!
utis a lavacro)
reliqua species
inctum, pniitcr

IS suum scntil ;
iberi, at vidua
tur. QiKcdani
jrationis : Qiut
[Ua3 ab homine

;ntia virginitati
iicliam conimu-
tat, continent ia

(hirty of his writings, such as they now romuiii to us :
whilst in speaking of the power of celibacy as a gift,
a grace, a happiness, springing from divine bounty,
he agrees with those who preceded him in the Church,
and exhibits no doubt the opinion of Christians in
general in his own time. And further, as we find no
trace of any other person contemporary with him in
the Church expressing his exaggerated opinions, we
may justly conclude that up to his time they did not
prevail ai all generally ; since we are not to conclude
hastily that even those married persons who bound
tliemselves to non-intercourse, did so ujion the ])re-
cise ground which he has stated ; for nothing is more
common than for persons to pursue the same course
from very different motives. If they merely thought,
as many did in his time, that the end of the world
was every day to be ex])ected, and took in a literal
sense St. Paul's direction, tliat those who had wives
should be as though they had them not, it Mill
sufficiently account for their conduct, without sup-
jiosing that they had adopted the idea of degradation
attaching to matrimonial intercourse.

Contemporary with Tertullian, though somewhat
liis juniors, arc jNIiimtius Felix and Origen ; the
former a layman of the Roman Church, the latter the
pupil and successor of Clement of Alexandria, and
ordained late in life. We have thus the means of
comparing together the state of feeling in various
parts of the Church, when Tertullian's writings had
begun to 1)0 known ; iind may thus see more dis-

•J

J*.

tinctly wlietlior any such (?xagg*eratO(l vioww as liis
wore goiicral.

In this light the tract of Mlnutius Felix, although
short, is valuable, inasmuch as his style has led critics
to sn])posc that he was of African descent ; he has
used expressions borrowed from Tertnllian, thus
showing that he had read some of his writings ; and
he was a member of the Church of Rome, where, by
the confluence from all parts of the world, there was
for many generations a better opportunity of knowing
what was the general feeling in the Church than in
any other jdace. jNIinutius is arguing with a friend,
who is a heathen, and in proof of the })ower of the
Gospel to change liumnn nature, he brings forward
the case of the religious celibacy, which, as we have
seen, was coniiuon amongst Christians'. He speaks
of it in I j)erfectly ralni tone, and ^nerely remarks that
those who lived in this state, rather enjoyed it as a
privilege than boasted of it as a merit. His language
is worthy fff observation on two accounts : both
because it shows that the tone of feeling on the sub-
ject at Rome, that most im])ortant Clmrch, was
perfectly in accordance with the Scriptures, and be-
cause it is a clear proof that up to that p(^i'iod it had
been attended with no more corruption or abuse than
wha*^ ;;Tust taways attend hnmun eltbrts ; for if the

' Outavius, 'H. Casto scniione, torpor, castiurc, plerique iii-
violati corporis virpw itate pcrpetua fruuiitur polius (juam glorian-
tiir. TaiituiJi abcst incesli cupido, ut iioiiiiuUib r\ibori sit etiaiii
|.,ulica coiijuii-tio.

vu'gms ai
exemplar
confident
Felix. ]
of some
])roves till
Rome. '
few {notn
the coarsi
the instai
contrast
the powe
without g
nay, he d
We ne
must be
have bee
has been
elusion
the same
with any
Every th
mind, in

' Tom.
7J/C v/'i'X'lc
roTc airijaa
Xpriaafjiipo

xiv. 2.5.
cupoi' eifu
^ovov hrrk

fiffOl', TO'

virgins and celibates had not been for the most part
exemplary, they would not have been apj)ealed to so
confidently by an intelligent layman like Minutins
Felix. It may perha})s be thought that the mention
of some who " blushed even at a chaste union,"
proves that the views Tertullian advocates had reached
Rome. They might perhaps have prevailed with a
few {no?imdli) ; but at all events we hear nothing of
the coarse comparisons instituted by that Father, and
the instances .ire brought forward simply to show the
contrast between heathenism and Christianity, and
the power of the latter to control natural impulses,
without giving any opinion of them in the abstract ;
nay, he distinctly calls marriage " a chaste union."

We next come to Origen, and of him our notice
must be very slight indeed. The chief passage I
hfive been able to discover bearing on the subject,
has been already exhibited in part, and the con-
clusion is here subjoined, together with another of
the same cast ' ; but from them we cannot gather
with any certainty that he advocated celibacy at all.
Every thing he says may apply to perfect purity of
mind, in the married equally with the single state :

' Tom. XV. 5. MtydXtf ce Bviafiir to \iopf}iTai tov uno \6yov
TiJQ i/'Uj^^e tvvQvyirTfxov, or oh ndi'TtQ. . . . Si^orni. Ae'tJorot Se Tatri
Tolc ulrrjaaaiv airo Qtoii r>)>' Xoyitcffv fxa^aipa^', Kcd deoi'TO)^ airj/
Xpr/ffajUtVotc, iV Evrov\y}(r<i)<rLV k. t.\,

xiv. 25. UpoQ ToiiTO ce timi' avTolg b ^(i)n)p, cicdtrKwy ii/untj

duipOt' tlVUl TO Sl^O/JLEVOV CtTTO QeOV TlfV TTaVTEXt] KaddpEVOll', KUl OV

fiovot' nnKi}mi TrapayiyvofiEVor, oXXa /lur' {^^(aJr viro Qeov CiCo-
fifvov, TO' OV -ndi'Tf*: k, t. A.

-J-

<)0

and Avlioii we consider the station he hehl for so
many years as master of the Catechetical School at
Alexandria, Miiere his reputation attracted to him
more pupils th: n he could instruct, and caused him
to be sent for by an Arabian prince, to instruct him
in the faith of Christ, — that his residence was not
confined to Alexandria, but extended to Rome, to
Greece, and to Syria, — that by a rare exception he
was called upon at Csosarea by the Bishops of Syria,
although only a layman, to preach in their presence, —
and was thought of so much imj)ortance that, when
ordained priest by the Bishoji of Jerusalem, contrary
to the Canons, and consequently excommunicated by
his own proper bishop, the Patriarch of Alexandria,
the Churches of Palestine, Arabia, Phoenicia, and
Achaia, still held with him against the whole Chris-
tian world, — when we consider, moreover, that his
life was imcommonly strict and secluded, and that h(;
had actually adopted mechanical means to enable
himself to live in celibacy without fear of tempta-
tion, — his silence upon such a point, and his sjii-
ritualization of the leading passage u]ion which the
doctrine of religious celibacy is built, in the volumi-
nous remains we have, is one of the strongest proofs
that the body of the Church in his time had not
come to attach to it any undue or unscriptural im-
portance.

But if tl
charged v
and in tl;
the ill-on
ducing tl
foretold
riety. I
in that a
trious pre
for they b
but it is I
of the tw
any comn
was the d
his warm
was not,
at mature
rhetoricia
thing, we
ings in

L'ltl ior so

School at

ed to him

aused him

struct him

e was not

Rome, to

:ception lie

»s of Syria,

)resence, —

that, when

m, contrary

Linicated by

Alexandria,

Tenicia, and

diole Cliris-

pr, that his

and that he

5 to enable

of tempta-

nd his spi-

1 which the

the volumi-

igest proofs

ne had not

riptural iin-

^p^

CHAPTER ITT.

But if the body of the Church cannot be justly
charged with any material taint, there was a corner,
i and in that age not an unimportant one, in which
the ill-omened sentiments of Tertidlian were pro-
ducing their proper fruit, — as the evils which he
foretold were coming forth into undesirable noto-
riety. I allude to the Church of Carthage, of which
in that age Cyprian was the chief and most illus-
trious prelate. He was contemporary with Origen,
for they both went to their rest about the same time ;
but it is probable that he was somewhat the younger
of the two ; nor does it appear that they had ever
any communication with each other. Indeed Cyprian
was the disciple of Tertullian, and not only that, but
his warm admirer ; and when we add to this that he
was not, like Origen, bred a Christian, but converted
at mature age, and that his previous profession of a
rhetorician had accustomt^d him to overcolour every
thing, we must not be surprised if we find his feel-
ings in some degree stern and harsh, his ideas

G 2

■a;:

somcwliiit exalted and puritanical, and liis modes of
ex|)reHsion soiiu'vvliat overcliar^^ed : and wo must lie
on onr guard against concluding that his opinions
were necessarily the same as those held by his
co-bishops.

There arc two portions of his writings which have
reference to this subject, the Tract J)e llubitu Vir-
(finum, and his Jjdta- to /'omponiiis.

There can be no doubt that by Virgins in the first
of these, he means not unmarried women in general,
but professed Virgins ; or, as he expressed it, those
" who dedicated themselves to Christ, and as well
in flesh as in spirit, devoted themselves to God '."
How the profession was made does not ap]iear : nor
is it by any means certain that any thing more was
done, than when, in certain societies in our own
time, persons are understood to have " given them-
selves to the Lord " more especially than others.
In particular it is very clear that there was no such
distinction of dress as to resemble the Quakers, or
Jieligieiises of modern times : for if there had been
he would not have had to caution the virgins of the
Church against such habits as those of applying

' De habilu Virg'mum. Ut quae se Christo dicaverint, et a
carnali concupiscentia recedeiites, tarn came quam mente se Deo
voverint, consumment opus suum magno praemio destinatum ;
nee ornari jam aut placere cuiquam nisi Domino suo studeant,
a quo et mercedem virginitatis expectant, dicente ipso, * Nori
omnes, &rc '

antimony
to im|)ro
heautifv
rings, an(
fea;.'w« J

The \
(juenting
festivities

He r(!i
theniielv
attention
wrong : 1
(seeking 1
on world
j)rofessioi
tract tli(
c

He then
who thoi
nients a\

' Oculo
^ Genaf
^ Mutai

colore .

meos ausp
^ An

adhuc infa

pretiosa gi
' Quoii

Expugnal

ir.i

modes (il
[' Til list be

opinions
1(1 l)y his

vliicli have
/(ifiif./f, I'ir-

in the first
in general,
il it, those
nd as well
to God '."
H)]icar: nor
g more was
in our own
^iven theni-
han others,
ttas no such
[Quakers, or
e had been
•gins of the
of applying

icaverint, et a
iTit'nte se Deo

dcstinatum ;

1 suo studpant,
te ipso, • Non

aiitiniony ' to darken their eye lashes, ami rougi; -
to ini|)rovc their complexion, and yelh>\v dye' to
beautify their hair, and piercing their ears ' for ear-
rings, and using other artificial means ^ to alter their
tea;. ""OS and amend their figures.

The hrec points Cyprian takes up are ilress, fre-
quenting the public baths, and attending wedding
festivities: the former more copiously than the rest.

lie r(!j)resents to the virgins that if they so attired
themijclves as to show that they desired to attract
attention from men, they were doing extremely
wrong : that it was contrary to their profession of
seeking the kingdom of heaven, to set their hearts
on worldly gewgaws ; that it was contrary to their
])rofession, as devoted to Christ, to desire to at-
tract the eyes of men ; that to do so, whilst ])ro-
fessing celibacy, was a sign of im])urity of mind.
He then replies to the wealthier jiortion of them,
who thought that elegant dress and ex])ensive orna-
ments were pro|)er appendages of their station in

' Oculos circunuUic'to nigrore fucarc nigro piilvcro.

' Genas mendacio ruboris inficere.

' Mutare adulterinis coloribus crinein adhibito fluvo

colore Malo praesagio futurorum cajjillos jam tibi flam-

meos auspicaris.

■• An vulnera inferri auribus Dcus voluit, quibus innoceiis
adhuc infantia et mail secularis ignara crucietur ; ut postca ....
pretiosa grana dependant.

* Quoiibet lineamenta nativa corrumpente medicaniine

Expugnata est mendacio fades, figura corrupta est.

' 'i

•-a

.J3

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-S)

*t ^<'

1.0

I.I

1.25

1^128

It i^ 12.0

2.5
2.2

1.8

U IIIIII.6

"^ s^

^.f J^i J'

Hiotographic

Sdences

Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 873-4503

y
^

society ; and represents to them the impropriety of
a Christian setting a value upon wealth and station,
and the prohibition which St. Peter and St. Paul
have laid upon all women against seeking their
ornament in dress; the evil they do by attracting
the attention of young men, and kindling the fire of
passion in their bosoms which, from the nature of
the case, cannot be chaste ; the good they might do
by devoting their superfluous wealth to relieving the
necessities of the poor ; the impropriety of Christian
women resembling harlots; and the displeasure of
God which they must incur by attempting to alter
and amend his works. His arguments upon this
latter point will be regarded by most persons as
vveak and inconclusive ; being such as this, that we
never find scarlet or purple sheep. The other argu-
ments do not appear unnatural, considering the
state of society, although they betray a mind some-
what ascetic and severe, such as we might expect
in an admirer of Tertullian. But then, as I have
said, we must consider the state of 5 ociety ; for we
shaU, T apprehend, find that religion, when earnest
and smcere, will, in the uneducated or half-educated,
always take a rigid aspect amongst persons sur-
rounded by a gross and profligate population. We
may see it even in our own day, if we have the
opportunity of examining attentively the habits of
the middle and lower classes in our large manufac-
turing towns. In such a condition of society the
minds of most men api)car to be unable to maintain

a man as

their footing, except by withdrawing as far as pos-
sible from the confines of immorality. Even such
?v man as Dr. Johnson was accustomed to say that
he could abstain from wine altogether, but that he
could not enjoy it in moderation : and no doubt
Cyprian, and such as he, especially if converted in
mature age, had much of the same feeling, both for
themselves and for others.

The second point he takes up is the attendance of
the virgins at nuptial festivities. A prioi'i we might
argue that a man's mind must be in a very unhealthy
state to see any thing indecorous in such attendance.
But we have only to read his arguments to see
that festivities, such as he depicts ', were such as
no Christian ought to have countenanced, to say
nothing of modest young women. One expression
there is in which, after reading Tertullian, one may
for a moment suppose that he calls matrimonial
intercourse by the name of stupnim; but upon re-
flection, it is evident that he does not speak of that
intercourse generally, but only when stimulated by
excess and lascivious language.

The third abuse he notices is that of the professed

'•— ♦
.-4

' Quasdam non pudet nubentibus interesse, et in ilia lascivi-
entium libertate sermonum colloquia incesta miscere, audire quod
non decet, quod non licet dicere, observare ; et esse praesentes
inter verba turpia et temulenta convivia, quibus libidinum fomes
accenditur, sponsa ad patientiam stupri, ad audaciam sponsus
animatur.

>-•«

virgins frequenting the public baths, in which men
and women could see each other. To us this ap-
pears so utterly and irredeemably gross, that one
wonders that the thing should be possible. But
supposing such a state of things, there is nothing in
Cyprian's mode of treating the subject which can be
objected to.

This tract is generally supposed to have been
written when he was only a presbyter, and certainly
in its style savours strongly of the profession of a
rhetorician, which he had so long practised. We
shall find, for the first time, in an unquestioned
Church writer, those excited and artificial notions
which have prevailed in various ])arts of the Church
to the present day. The merit of the martyrs, we
know, acquired for them privileges which we regard
as extravagant and subversive of all order and dis-
cipline. And why was this, but that their example
Vi'as seen to make the strongest impression upon the
heathen, and to be a fruitful source of conversion ?
And so, no doubt, it was with virginity. The com-
pany of virgins for life, a phenomenon produced by
Christianity alone, was a powerful and striking argu-
ment of its divine origin and transcendent claims.
It was felt to be such, and was constantly appealed
to as such by Christian writers. Not that they, for
the most part, mention the celibates of the female
sex alone, but that these were, from the nature of
the case, less capable of making u deceitful profes-

J,y .

siou. They, therefore, came to be regarded as next
in honour ' in Cyprian's mind, and probably in those
of his contemporaries : nor did he feel it the less
from having been a convert from heathenism. He
therefore, as one of the most persuasive arguments,
to induce them to live worthily of their vocation,
magnifies as much as possible the honour and dignity
of their condition, if preserved untainted : nor can
we doubt that his panegyric is so much the more
highly coloured, from the habits of his original
profession. With every allowance, however, his
language is exaggerated, as may be judged when
he calls them " the image of God, corresponding to
the Lord's purity ^ the more illustrious portion of
Chr.st's flock ;" and tells them, " When ye continue
chaste virgins ye are equal to the angels ^ :" and
again, " Great gain awaits you, the ample prize of
virtue, the highest reward of chastity '." He likewise
repeats and adopts the idea of imitating Christ by
virginity ; but still no more than by purity, holiness,

* Ut apud martyrem non est carnis et seculi cogitatio, tiec
parva et levis et delicata congressio ; sic et in vobis, quaruiii
ad gloriam merces secunda est, sic et virtus ad tolerantiuin
proxima.

' Dei imago respondens ad sanctimoniam Domini, illustrior
portio gregis Christi.

* Cum castac perseveratis et virgines, angelis Dei estis
jcquales.

* Magna vos merces numct, pra^niium grande viitutis, muiiusi
maximum caslitalis.

})8

truth ', &c. It is evident, indeed, from the pas-
sage I have last quoted, that he thinks it only one
aniongst many excellencies, and not one which com-
prised or could supersede all others ; and that,
whatever be the excitement of his previous lan-
guage, he regards that one virtue as of no avail,
unless accompanied by the rest ".

The request with which he concludes^ that they
would remember him, "when virginity should begin
to be honoured in them," has been quoted as though
Cyprian countenanced prayers to departed saints.
The expression is certainly obscure ; but the most
natural meaning seems to be, that when they had
reformed their manners, and had thus ceased to bring
discredit upon virginity, he on his part should regard
their remembrance as valuable, and they on their's
could not make him a more fitting recompense for
bringing them back into the right path. There is
evidently not the slightest foundation here for ad-
dressing those wiio had already quitted life.

Before I pass on to the next subject, I have a

' Quomodo portavimus imaginem ejus qui de limo est, por-
teinus et imaginem ejus qui de coelo est. Hanc imaginem
virginitas portat, portat integritas, sanctitas portat et Veritas :
portant disciplinae Dei memores, justitiam cum religione tenentes,
stabiles in fide, humiles in timore, ad omnem tolerantiam fortes,
ad sustinendam injuriam mites, ad faciendam misericordiam
faciles, fraterna pace unanimes atque Concordes.

' Quae vos singula observare, diligere, implere dehelis.

' Tantum mementote tunc nostri, cum incipiet in vobis vir-
"initas honoiari.

remark or two to make. First, it must be very
evident, from the high terms in which Cyprian speaks
of the virgins as a body, that the faults he pointed
out could not have prevailed very extensively, other-
wise they would have been a disgrace to the Church,
instead of a grace and an ornament. Secondly, the
degeneracy of the virgins was not peculiar to them,
but was shared by the whole North- A.frican Church,
They had enjoyed a long season of prosperity, and it
is only ignorance which supposes that in any age
of Christianity the sunshine of the world has had any
other effect than that of producing relaxation in
piety. Accordingly, in the persecution which fol-
lowed not long after this tract of Cyprian's was writ-
ten, the great body of professed Christians in that
part of Africa denied their Lord, by conforming to
tiie observances of paganism, to avoid suffering or
death. It is a mistake, therefore, to suppose that
the profession of celibacy is entirely to blame;
although, no doubt, the credit in all cases, and the
pecuniary advantage to the poor, which attended it
in those days, had some share in producing the mis-
chief. If, however, Tertullian's advice had been
attended to, — if the rule had been established that
every adult female should dress like a married
woman, or in any other way the outward distinction
of the virgins had been done away with, much of the
evil would have been prevented, especially such as
we find developed in the next portion of Cyprian's
writings in which the subject is taken u[).

■■K

100

This is a letter written by him after he became
Bishop of Carthage, to Ponipoiiius, a fellow-bishop.
The occasion was this, that some of the professed
virgins ' in the diocese of which Pomponius was
bishop, had been found to be in the habit of sleepiiir
with men, and had confessed it to be their practice.
One of these men vva:s a deacon. Pomponius imme-
diately excommunicated the deacon, and wrote to
Cyprian as his primate, for advice what to do with
the virgins. It seems that, extraordinary as it may
appear, the greater part of them declared themselves
to be innocent of any criminal intercourse, and offered
to submit to the most rigorous test. It must be
owned at once, that the habits of socictv must have
been very barbarous and gross in which any of these
occurrences could have taken place : but those who
are acquainted with the habits of the agricultural
classes in some parts of England at the beginning of
this century, will not think it imposdble that it may
all have happened without any crime. Cyprian shows
his feeling of the monstrous nature of the cir-
cumstances related, and lecommends to Pomponius
various degrees of penance according to the degrees
of immodesty.

We gain very little additional light from this letter,
either as to his own opinions, or those which pre-
vailed in the Church at large on the subject in

' Ciua> in statu suo esse, et continentlam firmiler teiicre decre-
verinl.

101

liaiul. Tt is fiilly established that tho virgins lu
speaks of were those who had in sonic well-known
way signified that they had iken upon them the
character of pe'^petual virginity : but yet this is so
far from being considered as absolutely binding them
to persevere under all circumstances, that, whilst he
holds out as before the reward of "irginity to those
who persevered in modesty and chastity; he dis-
ti- ctly recommends niarriage to those who were
unable or unwilling to continue in their resolution ^
It is likewise observable that there is none of the
excited and rhetorical language which we find in his
earlier tract ; although we may perceive that lie ex-
presses with great energy his feelings of abhorrence
of the conduct of the guilty persons, and of ardent
desire for thoir restoration. But there is not that
panegyric of the state itself which was so conspicu-
ous in the tract. It may, therefore, not unfairly be
argued, that experience had rendered him more
cautious and less sanguine. It is likewise perfectly
clear from his advice, that those who were either
unable or unwilling to preserve absolute continency

.-4

■■<
(4.

tuncre dcca'-

' See above. Other passages are, Si ex fide se Christo dicave-
runt ; and, V>gir.em suam sibi dicatam, et sanctitati sua) desti-
natam. He likewise alludes to celil ates of the other sex, Qui
se castraverunt propter regnum coelo'.um.

' Quod si ex fide se Christo dicaverunt, pudice et caste sine ulla
fiibula perseverent; ita fortes et stabiles praemium virginitatis
expectant. vSi autem perseverwe nolunt vel non possunt, melius
est nubanf, quam in ionem dclictis suit oadant.

1()'2

should marry ', that tlie proft^ssidii of virginity <li<l
not in those days amount to a vow for life, and
tliat the opinion of Cyprian himself would have been
against its being made so.

This is a calm view of these transactions. It is
obvious that they were confined to a mere corner of
the universal Church. There is no evidence what-
ever that the irregularities complained of in t\w
earlier paper existed beyond the city of which
Cyprian was one of the priests ; and it is evident
that those mentioned in the latter one were confined
to the diocese of Pomponius, else we should have
heard of similar complaints from other quarters.
But they have been magnified and dwelt upon as
though they had been universally prevalent ; and
occasion has been thence taken to disparage the
piety and invalidate the authority of the Church of
that period: whereas it is evident from St. Paul's
Epistles to the Corinthians that irregularities and
crimes equally extraordinary occurred in some quar-
ters, even in the apostolic age. What wonder if
they had sprung ui» in greater abundance, (of which,
however, we have not the slightest proof,) as soon as
the Apostles quitted this earthly scene ?

It may, perhaps, have been expected, from the
great stress which has been laid upon the point by
Mr. Taylor, that I should mention that Cyprian had

' Si autem perseverarc nolunt, vel non possimt, melius est
nubant, quam in ignem dclictis suis cadaut.

ir*'

sanctioned rt'Iilmcy by his own exaniplj? ; Imt sucli
does not api)ear to have }>cen the case. If is bio-
grapher, Pontius, does indeed mention it as an ex-
traordinary circumstance tliat, in the very dawn of
his conversion, before he became a Christian, he had,
by an unusual grace, begun to disciphne himself by
self-denial in the desires of the flesh, under the
persuasion that he should thus be better prepared to
receive God's truth ', and he may perhaps mean
that he bound himself to strict chastity. But
nothing more can be gathered from the words with-
out the advantage of Mr. Taylor's comment : and
there is a subsequent jiassage which appears to imply
that he was a married man ". Indeed F'shop Pearson
understood it in that sense, and I do not see
how without violence it could admit any other. I
do not lay any great stress upon the circumstance ;
but it is only another instance of the great doubtful-
ness, to say the least, of some of Mr. Taylor's most
confident asertions. I will merely mention further

••-J-

' Inter fulei sua; prima riulimenta nihil aliud credidit Deo dig-
num, quam si continentiam tueref ir : tunc enim posse idoneum
fieri pectus, et scnsum ad plenam viri capacitatem pervenire, si
concupiscentiam carnis robusto atque integro sanctimonijB vigore
calcarct. Quis unquam tanti niiraculi meminit? Nondum secunda
nativitas novum hominem splendore toto divinae lucis oculave-
rat, et jam vetetes et pristinas tenebras sola lucis paratura
vincebat.

' Non ilium penuriu, non dolor fregit : non uxoris suadela
deflexit : non proprii corporis dira poena concussit.

104

that tlu'se two tmrts of Cyprinii iiw only about u
fbrtioth part of IiIm works.

Coutoini)orary with Cyprian were Gregory Timu-

Tnaturgus, and Dionysius of Alexandria. Their re-

niainn, it is true, are not large ; hut as they have

])otli left some rules of discipline, if *' the excellence

of virginity" appeared in every page of the Fathers,

and formed the centre notion of the ancient Church

system, we might expect some slight notice of them ;

but in fact we have nothing. Dionysius indeed

advises old persons not to marry again, but to give

themselves to devotion ; which many a person would

do, whose notions were very far from exalted, and

without the slightest reference to the desirableness

of marriage, or the contrary, for those in earlier life.

And thus we arc carried on to the year 205, in which

they both died : that is to say, we have arrived at

a distance of time from the foundation of the Church

as groat as that which has now elapsed since the

first years of Charles the First, without finding the

general prevalence in the Church of any unscriptural

doctrine on the subject of religious celibacy, or any

general abuse arising from the practice. At the

same time we find indications of a value generally

attached to it, which might easily be pushed to

excess ; and language adopted by persons of high

reputation, which, if dwelt upon and amplified by

kindred minds, might be made very mischievous.

ciiAPTKu rv.

We have now to jiass over a space of nearly forty
years, in which we have no indic.itions of the progress
of opinion. In the beginning of the next century
(lied Methodius, a bishop of the Eastern Church, wlio
has left behind him an exprt»ss Treatise on Religious
Celibacy. How far we have his own opinions in it
may be doubtful ; for it is in the form of a set of dis-
courses by a com]>any of professed virgins, in which
different sh.ades of opinion are expressed by the dif-
ferent speakers : ])ut perhaps it is on that account
more valuable, as expressing in all probability the
views of the higher class of minds in the Eastern
Church on the subject. T say the higher class of
minds, for it contains a refined and philosophical
train of thought, which could not be appreciated and
would not be read by persons of ordinary capacity
and .attainments.

There is a perfect harmony between all tlio
speakers upon one subject, and that is the gr«'at

106

».^

advantage of celibacy, as a means of detaching us
from earth, and training ourselves up for heaven.
The lady in whose garden the entertainment is
given, at which these discourses are supposed to
be delivered, addresses them as "the boast of her
exultation," and congratulates them upon "cultivating
the pure meadows of Christ with unmarried hands '."
The first speaker declares that " virginity is a great
thing, wonderful and glorious beyond nature; and,
if we must speak openly, following the Holy Scrip-
tures, the source and flower and firstfruits of immor-
tality, and by itself the most excellent and most
honourable endowment ^ ;" and that, " if we intend
to resemble God and Christ, we shall be zealous in
adorning virginity ^" But if we come to inquire
further whether it is celibacy in the abstract that
she so admires, we shall find her saying that " it is
not sufficient that the body should be kept pure, (as
it is not seemly that the temple should be more
handsome than the image of the divinity that inhabits
it,) but that the soul, which inhabits the body, as the
image does the temple, should be kept in order, and

' Aretk. 'O »'£a)'t^£C( £y^'7c avj^^t'i fiara /U£ya\o</jpoiTi»vr)c, <>;
KuWiirapdipoi, roiic rivr/porowc ^ptfrrou ytwpywffat Xei^wfaQ a»'u/t-

Marcella. MeyaAf; r/'t tariv, v7rEp(l>vb)g nai OawjUuoT)} Ka't
ti'iu^oc Ij Tlapdeiia' Kut tl x("/ '/>«)'£f>wc etTTEly Eirufiiiiji' r«7c liyinir
ypcKJuiiQ, TO oudap d/c dfOdpcrUiQ Kni to ciyOoc kui i'/ UTrap^t) avTi'ir,
TO apianii' kui KaWirrTOv imTiiCiEVfia jjot'or Tvy^^iirei.

Ka) lifie'ic up<«, ft neWoifxev Kad' ofiuiuaiv 'iffEtrdai G^oD kui
XpnTTuii, (piXorifii'oi.itdu T))i' iranheyiai' Tif-KU'.

107

rrOai Qioii koi

adorned with righteousness :" and that " it is to be
kept in order and cleansed by zealous and unwearied
attention to the words of God '."

The next speaker is afraid that an impression
might have been produced by the former to the dis-
paragement of marriage ; she therefore sets herself
to counteract that impression. A few quotations
will show the train of thought which Methodius
thought most correct. " I seem to myself to have
clearly discerned from the Scriptures, that the word
did not intend, when virginity came, to do away with
parentage; for it does not follow that, because the
moon is greater than the stars, therefore the light of
the other heavenly bodies is done away with^" " The
commandment to produce children is confessedly ful-
filled up to the present timel" "We must not
vilify marriage, but extol and prefer virginity. For

* Ow yap fiovov a(j>dopu rd wwjuara Ttj^tladai ^el, iomrep ovCe
ToiiQ vaovQ KptiTTOPag dnoipaiyeaOai riZv ayaX^arwr* dWn rdc
\fiv\ag dydXfiara riSy auyfidrMv ovaaq OepantveffOai j(pi) Koa^ov-
fiiyac Sitcaioffuvri. OtpmrevoiTat Se koI dirotTix)'i')(pvTai rare fidWov,
OTTOTE aoKvwc KaTUKovfiv TMv dtiuiv dfiiWwfitvai Xoyioy, /u») a7ro\>;-
yiiJtTi Trpii' avTOv i(pn\pa«Tdai !> ftrriv dXrjdec, em aoi^tiit' dipiKi-ovfitvai
6vpag.

This speaker is niadc to quote Rev. xiv. 3, as absolutely
defining the number of virgins of both sexes.

' TilEOPHltA. — 'Eyio yap t^adeiopaKii'ai [.toi cokw aa(jjwg and roiv
ypafMi', (>Ti irapdei'iag E\dovrrr}Q, o Xoyog ovk avelXf ndfT)] riiv
TEKvoyoi'iav. Ou ydp i-wEihi} tmv dtTTEpior >/ atXiivr] f(flO>i'' fnvt,
Trnpd Tovro roiy iiXXon' dnrfpio)' to (piijg dvaipflrni,

^ To SiaTayfin to ettI TfKvoTroi'lar <i^o\oyoi^|uei vjc f^^XP' '^'f ''•'*'
nvinrXiipovrai.

H 2

108

it does not follow that because honey is sweeter and
more agreeable than other things, therefore every
thing- else is in consequence to be reckoned bitter'."
Then after quoting 1 Cor. vii. 37, 38, she subjoins,
" For assuredly the word does not, by recommending
the better and the sweeter thing, forbid and do away
with the other, but allots to each person in posses-
sion that which is suitable and profitable for him^"
'* For the inspired word deems fit to compare the
Church to a meadow decked with abundant and
many-coloured flowers, varied and adorned with the
blossoms, not only of virginity, but also of parentage
and voluntary widowhood^"

The third speaker replies to the commandment to
"increase and multiply," quoted by the previous
speaker, that this is sufficiently fulfilled by the
spiritual increase and multiplying in the Church ;
and presses the point that St. Paul's recommendation
of marriage was not in the abstract, but simply as a
remedy for incontinence. But following him she

' M») /3?£?' 'fiT£(r0ai iraiSoTTodai', inaivtlv Se Kai TTfjon^^i'
'Ayvtiar, Ohce yap iirEiSi] Twy iiXXtop ii^vrepov ian Kai npoatji'ta-
Ttpot' TO fiiXi, TCI XotTra ^»/ rfj ravrtf vofJiii^Eadai Trpofft'iKEi iriKpa.

' Ou yap ^/) rjj tcv KpEirrovOQ Koi yXvKVTEpov TtapaQiafi, to
fTEpov apt~i\£P inrayopEvtrag i \6yoQ' aW EKaaTi^ to oike'iov koi Xvai-
teXec: dirovifiEiv ^iadE(TfiodiTE~i, Tote jutv yap ovHttu) (Tvye)(^ujpi]fTF.
irup0Ei'tac ruxeti'.

' ' AvdtipordT(i) yap Kai iroiKiXoTciT^ XEifiiovi aV£i(ca^Eff0at Xoyot
ij^Et irpoipriTiKOQ Tr)y 'EKKXriffi'ay, oh fiovov to'iq tT]q dyj'tmc irtTroiMX-
fxiyr\v Ka\ KaTEaTtfXfiivrfv Siydtaiy, dXXd Kai roTc r^c TtKyoyoyiat;
Kai ro7c lyKpareiai.

expressly

after proJ

not keep

keep it'.

It is n(

It is suflfi

idea of th

allegories

entertain]

cautions s

extolled (

the strict

that pride

love of m

all its bea

• TllALU

ETTi ToiJTO na

YipOKpivd)

"ifapdEVEVEir.

Kai Xoyto fxi

Epyf CE ohlt

* Arete.

UyEVOTOV »/^
7(J)', uyVEUl

Ovhi y£ o
aipi)Tai ^E <p
vireKKavj-iuTd
ayvEiuy rijUi

Oi/^£ yt I)

0» ^ /
vt£ y£ o

iTVfuptpoy ffi

TlfX^.

109

iweeter and
efore every
led bitter'."
le subjoins,
ommending-
nd do away
1 in posses-
e for him I"
!ompare the
undant and
ed with the
jf parentage

landment to
he previous
lied by the
;he Church ;
immendation
simply as a
ng him she

I Kai TTjjonyn^ j'
Ti»cat TTpoai)vi(r-
aiiKti TTiKpa.
V napadiafi, to
oIkeIov Kai Xvai-
inu) avptxwpijtre

iiKoiliEadai Xfjyof

y^'£tac rrcTTOifciX-

r^c TtKvoyoyiai:

expressly reconmiends those persons to marry, who
after professing religious celibacy, find that they can-
not keep their resolution, or have not the wish to
keep it'.

It is not my intention to follow all the speakers.
It is sufficient to say, that they support the grand
idea of the perfection of the virgin state by various
allegories ; and at length the lady who gives the
entertainment, winds up the subject by sundry
cautions and advices, showing that although they thus
extolled celibacy as a means of perfection, yet that
the strictest celibacy was not by itself available:
that pride and vainglory, and despising of others, and
love of money Jid selfishness, if cherished, tarnished
all its beauty and rendered it unavailing^.

' Thalia. — Ilovq kuto. Trpo^aaiy Kei'oco^lag tuv dicparearepoii'
Inl TOVTO TrapiXrjKvOuraQ aVo/vaWerat, (rvf^ijiovXevivv yafif.ly,

UpoKpifit)*' Toy ydjjoy rj/c ((^^(rifxoavi'ric, tTt Tuiv t\ofxivu)v fity
Trapdevevtii', 3vrTavaa')(^ET0vrrii)y H ro fiiTO. TavTa Ka'i (tVocci/iorrwJ''
Kal Xoyw fiey, Si alSw Tijy Trpoc dydpuinovc, uv^ovvTwy Im^iyeir,
ipyf Se ovEe fiaKpoTtpov tvSiaTpi\pai cvvajjieyioy rjJ tvvov^^itnit^.

' Arete. — Ou yap oTrorav r^c tavrov adpKa r»/c »cara cvvovaiav
uyevaTOV ijEoyiis ^iXon/uelrai Tr]pe~iy aidpujTrog, Twy u\Xu)y ^») K'pu-
T(oi; liyvEiav ti/j^.

OiiSi ye OTar, npog rric t^ti^dEV emOvfiiag ^taTror*/ KapTepuiy, inrep-
aiptjTai Ss (^vtTwv^uvoQ, avrft St] tovto) r^J CvraaBni rwc ti'iq adpKog
virtKKavi-tuTtJv KpuTc'it', KOI irdvTaQ wg ovSey ii,ovStywy, i/ytlrot
nyi'Etay Ti^^y.

OvH yt OTTtJre ivaftpvyfTui tic j^pi/ynftcri, rJ/n^i' avTi)y (movldt^ti,

Ovli ye 6 LavTOV VTTEpipvtZg //yoi/juei'oc ^iXtii', teal to euvt^ ftoi m
(TVfitpEpov anovCu^tijy aKoiTEly, U^poyTig St. tu)v ir\r]aioy, ityyElay

-J-

There is a discussion at the end between tlie lady
who is supposed to have heard and reported this dis-
cussion, and the gentleman to whom she reported it,
showing that different opinions were held as to the
excellence of virginity when free from sensual desire,
or when held in spite of it ; in which the palm of
merit appears to be given to the latter.

Upon the whole, although there is much in this
tract to curb and check extravagant views on the
subject of virginity, I think it must be admitted
that the general tone of it is exaggerated and un-
scriptural ; that it goes too much upon the assump-
tion of the su])erior corporal purity of virginity,
which at most is barely hinted at in Scripture ; and
that the concluding discussion is at variance with
the spirit of the Scripture and of more primitive
times, which regarded that state as one of privilege
and not of merit, and certainly did not suppose any
violent struggle or conflict in maintaining it. There
is, however, a little inconsistency ; for in a previous
part of the treatise we find the sentiment that, " the
word of God has not granted to all the privilege of
virginity '," Perhaps it is safest to regard this work
rather as a philosophical recreation, embodying the
various sentiments afloat in the Church on the sub-
ject, than as a didactic or hortatory treatise.

Methodius died about the year 302 or 303 ; and
his treatise must have been written at some indefi-

' See note \ p. 108.

Ill

nite time previous. It probably had considerable
weight. But whatever importance we may attach
to the work of any individual writer, we begin now
to have evidence of a different kind, viz. tliat of
synodical canons, some of which show the feeling of
particular branches of the Church, and others of the
Cliurch universal.

The first Church rules which come to our notice
bearing on the subject are those of Eliberis in Spain.
Their enactments as regards viroins will not be
looked upon as very rigorous. We have no prohi-
bition to marry, but the reverse. If a virgin is
debauched ', she is kei)t from communion for one
year only, without any other jienance, if she has
been only once guilty, and marries the person with
whom she has sinned. Tliis is not much like "forbid-
ding to marry." At the same time we find very
unequivocal symptoms of discouragement given to
the marriage of clergymen. It is true that tliere
were married clergymen in the Church ^ ; but still

' Concilium Eliberltanuvi. A. C. 313.

Capit. XIV. — Virgines quae virgiiiitatem iion custodierint, si
cosdem, qui cas violaveriut, duxerint et tenuerint maritos ; eo
quod solas nuptias violavcrint, post annum sine poenitentia re-
conciliari debebunt. Vel si alios cognoverint viros ; eo quod
mcechatae sint, placuit, per quinquennii tcmpora acta legitima
poenitentia, admitti eas ad communioneni oportere.

" Capit. LXV. — Si cujus clerici uxor fucrit incrchata, et scierit
earn maritus suus moechari, et non earn statim projecerit, nee in
fine accipiat coninmnionem ; ne ab iis, qui exempluin bonit con-
versationis esse debent, ab iis videantur sceleruin magisteria
procederc.

112

the marriage of clergymen was discouraged by a dis-
tinct rule of this council '. What was the ground
of this discouragement we are not told. Some-
thing might be due to the consideration that the
clergy were all supported out of one common stock,
and that the addition of a wife and children was so
much added to the burdens of the Church. But no
doubt it was partly from the same causes which pro-
duced the general exaltation of virginity. The days
of persecution were not yet gone by; and it was
looked upon as r. mark of too much worldliness of
mind, and too little seK command, for one whose
whole business was to train others to indiiTerence to
the world, to wish to entangle himself in worldly
cares, and to indulge in earthly pleasures. And,
therefore, although from necessity many married
persons \ere made clergymen, because, otherwise
the needs of the Church could not be supplied,
yet when an unmarried man was ordained, it was
( )(l)ected of him that he should continue unmarried.
And as in some cases this regulation was evaded
hy clergymen introducing females into their houses
under the character of friends and housekeepers ;
this practice was forbidden, no doubt to avoid
scandal and the evils every one would foresee as
likely to arise ^

' Capit. XXXIII. — Placuit in totum prehiberi cpiscopis,
presbyteris, et diaconibus, vel omnibus clericis positis in niinis-
terio, abstinere sea conjugibus suis et mh <;cnerare filios ; qui-
ciimque vero fecerit, iib honort clerii-alus exterminctur.

' Capit. XXVll. — Episcopus, vel quilibct alius clciicus, aut

113

There is no reason to suppose that any actual
irioral inconvenienc<.' was yet found to arise from
these enactments : the reason I have given suffici-
ently accounts for the 27th canoa.

This Council was held very early in the fourth
century : and what is there enforced we find taken
up in exactly the same spirit in the East. In the
Council of Ancvra, held a. d. 31 4, it is ordained that
unless a person declared at the time of his ordination
that he wished to reserve to himself the right of
marrying, he should be considered as taking a vow
of celibacy ; and that if, being ordained without any
such declaration, he married, he should be deprived
'.)f his function'. These Canons were signed by
eighteen bishops of Asia Minor, Pontus, and other
parts of the East. The Council of Neo-Cicsarea,
held about the same time, declares that if a priest
marries after ordination, he is to be degraded ^ These
enactments show a growing feeling in the Church
that marriage M'as unsuitable for a clergyman ; but
it must not thence be hastily concluded, that the
idea of pollution was attached to marriage by all
who united in making these regulations. The pro-
vision for the clergy was not then so abundant in

■■4

sororeni, aut filiam virginem dicatam Deo, tantuni secum habcat;
extraneam nequaquam habere placuit.

' Kfu'w)' a'. — Kt l\.iH\n\i^avro kuX t^uaav y^^Y\vai -yo/tj/ffot, ^\\
fiiir'i/(£)oi oiirwc ^ivtiv, ovToi jutrct tcivtu yaf^ii'iffuiTKj 'iaTwaav iv

' Can. i.

114

proportion to tlieir number as it afterwards became ;
and a married clergyman was therefore generally
compelled to bring a greater burden upon the Church
funds than an unmarried one. On that account a
bishop in particular, as being the treasurer of the
Church, was regarded with sus})icion if he was mar-
ried, because he lay under a strong temptation to
apply too large a portion of the common stock to
the needs of his own family. But if the marriage of
the clergy was not in this way objectionable, it was
so on another ground, 'iz. that it compelled them, as
it does many of us whose incomes are insufficient, to
encumber themselves with worldly cares, and to
engage in worldly business, in a degree which not
only operated unfavourably upon their own piety,
but also actually prevented them, however well-
intentioned, from giving that attention, that devoted-
ness of heart, that portion of their time and talents
to the service of the Church, which their unencum-
bered brethren in the ministry could readily give.
That they did think celibacy a higher state tlian
matrimony, we have seen ; but when we find the
same persons protesting that they do not wish to
cast a slur upon matrimony, we are bound to believe
them equally on that side : and the very fact that
they gave a person the power, when ordained, of
reserving to himself, if so disposed, the power of
marrying, proves that they did not think marriage a
pollution, otherwise they would have altogethei pro-
hibited it. But it seems to be clear that, when

unraarrie
and that
clergy in
liberty.

I have
of the C
conceinii
marry sh
with the
be allow
to see ii
couraged
not retb
a first A
Bevoridj
posed i]

Butt
fession <
the nat
for the
breach
sures.
was tlu
St. Pau
profcssi

' Ka)(

' In h
Cecsarea,

115

uninarried men could be had, they preferred them ;
and that nothing bu'. the deficiency of an unmarried
clergy induced them to consent to leave a man at
liberty.

I have omitted to mention that the 19th Canon
of the Council of Ancyra contains two enactments
concerning virgins of either sex, viz. that those who
marry should be regarded as bigamists, and punished
Avith the same penance, and tha^ virgins could not
be allowed to live with unmarried men '. It is easy
to sec incidentally, that a second marriage was dis-
couraged in the early Church ; but this Canon does
not refer to a second marriage after the death of
a first wife, but during her lifetime ; for Bishop
Beveridge^ remarks, that no penance was ever im-
posed ipon a layman for a second marriage.

But the Canon shows unequivocally that the pro-
fession of virgins was j-ublicly made, and was itself
the natural consequence of the public profession ;
for the vow had been made t(> iiie Church, and the
breach of it therefore naturally involved Church cen-
sures. Nor, supposing the vow thus publicly made,
was the Canon without scriptural foundation ; for
St. Paul expressly censures those widows, who, after
professhif) widowhood, married, as having " waxed

-I

•4

•■-■ »
'-4

' Kai'bii/ S'. — "Oaoi TrapQiviavjiirayyEWo^ii'oi, ndtTovm Tt)y
InayyiKiav ,tuv Tuiy t ly a jiu) v\ o po v eKnKrjpovTUtrnv' 'lac piv Toi
(Tvvtp)(op.ivaQ TTapQivoif, Tiaiv, wf ticiXcjxit:, 'tKwXvaHnev.

' 111 his remarks on the sevcuth canon oi" the Council of Nco-
Caesarea.

IIG

wanton against Christ ;" and wliat more natural tlian
to extend the ])rincii)le to virgins? The great error
lay in the accejiting p, \ ^irofession.

The hitter part of the Canon was, so far as appears,
nothing but a provision to avoid scandal. It Mould
be absurd to deny that an unmarried man and
woman might live together in the same house in
])erfct't j)urity and correctness ; but there can be as
little doubt that the eiij'orccment of the vow of celi-
bacy, or the imposing a penance upon the breaking
of it, must lead to many evasions ; and this was one
of them, that those who became personally attached
would seek to gratify their partiality, by living
together as brother and sister. There is no need of
supposing any hypocrisy in this, or any impurity in
the majority of cases; but in an im])ure age, impurity
would be suspected, and was in some cases likely to
take place, and therefore the Canon was made. The
real evil lay in the public profession of celibacy. It
must be remembered, however, that this was not
a canon of the universal Church.

These regulations, then, so far as we have yet
seen, were not general. In the Council of Nice,
which was a council of the whole Church, an attempt
was made to introduce a regulation, not indeed
restricting the marriage of the clergy, l)ut re-
quiring that in future those who were married should
live as though unmarried. By what number of
persons it was supported does not appear: and as
it i)resupposes a i)reviously established law, that those

117

who entered holy (irders iiiinmrried fshoiiM romaiii so,
(wliich clearly did not exist,) there may he sonic
doubt whether the projiosition made to the council
was so extreme as this. We are told, however, by the
same authorities that it was opposed by Papliinitius,
an Egyptian bishop, hinistdf an example of celibacy in
his own person ; but in the true principle maintained
by the primitive Church as a body hitherto, opposed
to laying u})on others a burden which might prove
too great for them to bear. It has been represented
by Mr. Taylor, as though he were a solitary opponent ;
but this is to forget the fact that the i)roposal was
rejected hy the council: and nothing whatever Mas
enacted by them on the subject of virgins of the
other sex'. It is clear, therefore, that a majority of
the members of the council, and by natural conse-
quence a majority in the Catholic Church, however
much disposed to exalt virginity, had not yet come
to make the observance of the vow compulsory upon
any one. It appears, however, if the historians were
rightly informed, that it was acknowledged by Paph-
nutius to be an ancient custom in the Church for
those who entered holy orders unmarried to remain
so, although no absolute law had been jiassed to that
effect : but the canon of the council of Ancyra, cited
above, shows that although probabl} very general,
it was not universal. The great error of Popery on
this subject was not therefore as yet adopted by the

ex;
■~4

<4.

» See Socr. Hist. Ecc' i. 8. Sozoni. i. 22.

IIH

(Jliurcli at largo, wI)atov(»r progrcsH it may liavu
made in particular localities.

And now wo have arrived at another era, the
Nicene, which Mr. Taylor makes our grand resting-
place after the apostolical age, and which ho charges
with all sorts of corruptions ; and what do we find, up
to this time, to have been the opinion and practice
of the Church on the subject of religious celibacy '(
There can bo no doubt that it was recognised by the
great body of Christians as in itself preferable to
marriage, and more perfect than that state ; and
there can be as little doubt that it was on that ac-
count regarded as more suitable for clergymen, and
that it was by many pressed upon all mIio were
willing to receive it. But we do not as yet find any
indication that the Church at large had committed
itself either to the enforcement of the vow of virgins
and widows, or to the requirement of any vow upon
the part of clergymen. One canon only of the
universal Church bears upon the subject, viz. that
which required that bishops, priests, and deacons, or
any ecclesiastical officers, should not have any females
to live familiarly with them but near relations'.
This regulation shows that in point of fad celibacy
was common with the ecclesiastical orders ; and the

' Concilium Nicwnum. A. C. ."Vi.").
Kavwy y'. — 'A7r>jyof)£U<T£ KaBuXov >'/ /if yttX?/ avpohoQ, fiifTt ini-

K\lipo>, llelvai avvsiirnKToi' tx*"' '"'^V^ «« A") ''P" /"/'"*/'"> V ficiX-
(liilf, */ dtiur, >/ ('« /uoi'ri 7r()0(7W7r« ndaar iiTro\lii(ir fiinriffimyf,

})

Hi)

very roasoii given lor it, viz. " to avoid sns]»icion,"
whilst it shows tlmt tho Church was anxious to avoid
the appearance of evil, and that the evils of tho celi-
])ai'y of tho clergy were beginning to be apparent, by
its very silence authorizes us in inferring that they
were not as yet great or general. Indeed Bishop
Dcveridge' informs us that the single case of Leontius,
wiio kept with liini a professed virgin of the name of
Kustolia, was the eause of tliis canon being made.

We see then how unfounded are the charges of
Mr. Taylor against the primitive Catludic Church up
to this great era. For wo have passed over a space
of time as long as that from tho fifteenth year of
Queen Elizabeth to this time without any corruption
of doctrine on the subject of religious celibacy whicli
can be fairly laid to tho charge of tho Catholic
Church, and without any (jeneral moral evil produced
by the exaggerated value put upon celibacy by the
mass of the ])eople, and by some distinguished writers,
who, we must grant, do not appear since the time of
Clement of Alexandria to have met with any con-
tradiction. So tliat the real state of things seems to
have been this ; that since the time of Cyprian, ex-
aggerated notions of the merit of religious celibacy
a])pear to have been gaining ground in many direc-
tions ; that the public profession of virginity, unheard
of in the earliest age, had been spreading, and was
probably become general ; that a very considerable
immber of the bishops and clergy, possibly a majority

' In his annotations on tliis canon.

120

ji»-<

r--.

of them, profossod celibacy ; that in .some i)arts of thu
Church this vow was enforced by jienanco or degra-
dation ; that the improprieties and scandals which
TertuUian had foreseen from anything which should
operate to enforce celibacy, did in some, perhaps
many, Instances appear; and that matters appeared
tending to the universal probihition of marriage to
the clergy, and the universal enforcement of the vo^v,
by whomsoever taken. And if Mr. Taylor had
confined himself to such a statement, no contradic-
tion vvould have been necessary. Every age of the
Church has its actual evils and its evil tendencies :
but, thank God, the monstrous charge that, upon nnif
point, corruption of doctrine, and consequent corrup-
tion of morals, prevailed throughout the primitive
Church, down to the Nicene era, cannot be sub-
stantiated.

THE END OF PART II.

|)arts of tlio
c or degra-
idals wliicli
liicli should
rie, perhaps
rs appeared
marriage to

of the vow,
Taylor had
) contradic-

age of the
tendencies :
it, njjon any
lent corrup-
16 primitive
not be sub-

PART III.

CHAPTER I.

The plan I have proposed to myself is really to do
what Mr. Taylor promised to do, but did not fulfil ;
viz. to give persons the power of judging for them-
selves by a direct and explicit chain of evidence, as
to the doctrine and practice of celibacy in the Pri-
mitive Church, and in so doing to rebut whatever
part of his charges against the ancient Church may
be untrue : for that there should be no truth in
them is not to be imagined. No person of character,
no person who thought himself candid, (both of which
I readily accord to JMr. Taylor,) could have made
such statements without any foundation in fact.
There are then five principal points to which I have
endeavoured to confine mv attention. First, to show
that no corruption on this subject, whether of doc-
trine or of practice, other than such abuses as any
the divinest gift is liable to, can be traced to the
sub-apostolical age ; secondly, therefore, to disprove
his attack upon the integrity of the rule, " semper

■^

'K.
^■

-J-

122

r.;

ubiqne ct al) omnibus," as ap])licd for a test of doc-
trine or practice ; thirdly, to show, in opposition to
his statement, by what decrees corruptions of doc-
trine or practice came in ; fourthly to prove, in
regard to the post Nicene Church, that the awful
charge of apostacy, on the subject of marriage, can-
not be substantiated against her ; and lastly to con-
sider the practical lessons we may draw from the
whole subject. That plan therefore obliges me to
carry on my quotation of passages through the next
century : and although there will necessarily be some
tediousness in the process, and it cannot be made so
entertaining as a more discursive style of writing,
yet I trust it will be satisfactory to those who simply
wish to know the truth of early Church history.
And if I confine myself strictly to this branch of the
subject, and take no notice of other charges brought
by Mr. Taylor against the ancient Church, it is be-
cause he himself in the opening of his subject lays
the chief stress of his arguments upon this brancli,
and because I feel this alone sufficiently ample for
the time I am enabled to spare from other duties.
Moreover my object is not merely to reply to Mr.
Taylor, but to trace the history of religious celibacy;
and to derive such lessons from it as may bo useful
in the present day.

I shall therefore go back a little from the period
to which I had arrived, the era of the council of
Nice, to mark the language and feeling of a religious
layman on the subject; the more especially as wo

may se(

exactly

gym an.

the use

power c

shows i1

he proc(

the acti

ever, th;

his doc

" nor le

and to c

within t

idea of i

and nun

ken \h-p

enjoy wi

' Divin

esse fraeiK
tatis pudi
nibus can
ris integr
vitae felic
prajcepit
tanquam
sitatem.
iiicompar
fastigium
siquis eni
(liscipului
consiniilii

123

st of cloc-
)osition to
IS of doc-
prove, in
the awful
riage, can-
ly to con-
froni the
ires me to
;h the next
ily be some
)e made so
of writing,
who simply
ch history,
anch of the
^es brouglit
ih, it is be-
mbject lays
this brancli,
y ample for
ither duties,
eply to Mr.
us celibacy ;
ay be useful

1 the period
; council of
f a religious
[jially as wo

may sec in the sentiments of a layman much more
exactly the prevalent feeling than in those of a cler-
gyman. He is giving an account of Christianity for
the use of the heathen; and, discoursing on its
power of redeeming men from the dominion of lust,
shows its effects upon married life ; and from thence
he proceeds to show that it should reach not only
the actions, but also the thoughts. Foreseeing, how-
ever, that his heathen readers would be apt to think
his doctrine impracticable, he proceeds to say',
" nor let any one think it difficult to curb pleasure,
and to confine it, naturally disposed as it is to roam,
within the bounds of chastity and modesty : for the
idea of even conquering it is held forth to mankind,
and numbers have retained the blessed and unbro-
ken virginity of the body ; and there arc many who
enjoy with the greatest pleasure that heavenly me-

' Divin. Institut. vi. 23. Nee vero aliquis existimet difficile
esse fraenos imponere voluptati, camque vagam et errantem casti-
tatis pudicitiaeque limitibus includere : cum propositum sit homi-
nibus cam vincerc ; ac plurimi bcatam atque incorruptam corpo-
ris integritatem retinuerint, multique sint qui hoc ccelesti genere
vitaj felicissimc perfriiantur. Quod quidem Deus non ita fieri
prajcepit tanquam astringat, (quia generari homines oportet,) sad
tanquam sinat ; scit onim quantam his atFectibus imposuerit neces-
sitatem. Si quis hoc, inquit, facere potucrit, habebit eximiam
incomparabilcmque mcrcedem. Quod continentia; genus quasi
fastigium est omniuniquc consummatio virtutum. Ad quam
siquis cniti atque cluctari potucrit, hunc servum Dominus, hunc
discipubmi Magister agnoscit : hie terram triumphabit : liic erit
consimilis Deo, (pii virtutem Dei cepit.

I '2

1-24

tliod of living. Which, however, God has not so
enjoined to he done, as though he bound us to it,
(because it is necessary that the human race should
be perpetuated,) but as though he made a privilege of
it : for he knows Avhat degree of necessity lie has
imposed upon these passions. If any one, he says,
has the power of doing this, he will have a distin-
guished and incomj)arablc reward. And this kind of
continence is as it were the topstone and finishing
of all virtues : and if any one by strenuous efforts
can reach it, such a servant his IMaster will acknow-
ledge, such a disciple his Teacher : he shall triumi)h
over earth ; he shall be like unto God, because he
has attained the excellency of God."

This passage indeed, shows that Lactantius had
a very high, and somewhat exaggerated notion of the
excellence of virgiiil!^y, but still there is no dis-
couragement given to marriage ; whilst he regards
pure celibacy as the perfection of bodily purity, he
yet cordially allows the modesty and chastity of
marriage; and regards the former as a state to which
God has not seen fit that all should reach, but oidy
those who have the privilege granted them : and he
treats it not as a virtue in itself, so much as a special
grace and ornament, which when other virtues are
practised, may be added to them as a kind of finish-
ing.

B>om the African Lactantius we return to the
Asiatic Eusebius, the famous historian of the Church.
lie is valualdc as illustrating the feeling with which

125

las not so
1 us to it,
ace slioukl
)rivilegc of
ity lie has
c, he says,
^e a distin-
his kind of
d finishing
lous efforts
ill acknow-
ill triumph
because he

;antius had
Dtion of the

is no dis-

lie regards
Y purity, he

chastity of
ite to which
3h, but only
jm : and lie
as a special

virtues are
d of finish-

;urn to the

the Church.

with which

celibacy was honoured in all, and matrimony dis-
couraged in the clergy in his time ; for he shows that
it was not from any idea of the comparative impurity
of the matrimonial connexion, but because it was
supposed that the peculiar business of the clergy,
viz. the saving of men's souls, was a more important
business than building up a family. In fact no sen-
sual idea appears to have entered into his thoughts
in speaking on the subject. He simply took the
facts as they were, and discusses the question, what
was the reason of the apparent opposition between
the Old Testament and the New upon that subject ?
Why were the ancients more intent uj)on per-
[)etuating the race than Christians' ?

For this he gives three reasons: 1. That there is
not the same motive for multiplying the species as
formerly, every corner of the world being full : 2.
That men have a greater pressure of business and a
less facility of procuring sustenance than formerly, and
are consequently, if j)arents, more liable to be drawn
away from the care of the soul ; and upc i that head
he quotes St. Paul in those passages which I have
myself cited : 3. That there is a more pressing need
of ])ersons disengaged from worldly cares to spread
the knowledge of God, since Christ has opened his
kingdom to the whole w^orld. His language so en-
tirely confirms what I have formerly said upon the

' Dcmonstr. Evang, i. 9. Tt ^j/i"" ot iitv Trtpt yaixovq koi irai-
^oTTottoc TrXeiiTToy elafjyoy <Tnovh)i', iif-Ui/ Ce rovTO 7rc(f)0/L(£(H'4£rat to

— •

12()

motives for clerical celibacy in those days, tliat 1
shall tiaiislate his words '.

" We may see with our own eyes multitudes of
races and nations, throughout the cities and villages,
and scattered habitations, through the doctrine of
the Gospel of our Saviour, hastening together to
God, and flocking to the divine learning of the
doctrine of the Gospel ; for whom it is highly desir-
able that there should be a jiossibility of supplying
the teachers and preachers of the word of godliness,
free from all the ties of life and from distracting
cares. Chiefly, therefore, do they as a matter of
duty at the present time study to abstain from
marriage, that they may have leisure for more im-
portant things; forasmuch as they are busied in
begetting a divine and spiritual seed, not of one or
two children only, but have undertaken the nurture
of a thronging and numerous multitude, and their
godly education, and the care of their conduct for the

' 0£^ Bih TTJs Tov ^(jJvfjpoQ ijfiiSv EvayyEXiKrJQ hf^afrtcaXiag, i.ivpia
idfTi (cat Xaoiig, Karci re ttoXciq icat ■^wpng ical dypovc, Trdpeariv
ilfiiv otpdaXfxoig vp^v airtvcovTa Kurd to uvto, t;ai avvTpi)(ovTa Iit\
Ttfv Kara OEOf iiddrjaii' rj/t' ivayyeXn^iJQ ciEaaKaXiac' olg dya-
■Kr]Tov hvvatrQai eS,upKely Toiig Si^aaKuXovg icai K)'ipvKaQ tov ttjc
Oeotrefieiac Xoyov, TrdvTiov dTroXEXvjuiivovc: twp tov j^iov SeiTfiuv
Kai Ttiv TToXvjjiEpini'wv (ppovriSiov. INIaXiora ^' ouv tovtoiq dvay-
K(U(i»c TO. vvv Idi Ti]v TTEpl Tu KpeiTTU) (T)(()Xi)y, // rwv ydfxwv dva-
y^i)pr)aiQ (Tirovcdi^trai' are Trepl rrjv tvdeoy kcu dffapKov irai^oiroiiar
dc^oXovfiivovQ ov^ ivoQ ov^e Svelv iraihutv, iiXX dOpouig jivpiov
nXi'iOovg rtiv Trui^orpocpiai' kcu Ttjf Kara Otov TTullivaLv tTiq rt
rtWr/f dyioyiiQ rov j3iov T})y tiniJiiXeiui' dyacehyj-upovc.

127

rest of their life." In the same spirit lie says • tliat
" it is Jitting that those who are busied about the
service of God shoukl abstain for the future from
matrimonial intercourse ;" but that for otliers " tlie
word almost advises marriage." So far again is
Eusebius from forbidding to marry, or from exalting
virginity unduly.

In his time Christian hermits and ascetics begin
to attract attention, whether living solitary or in a
kind of societies : but although we iiist hear of them
now, it is evident that the habit was no new thing.
It was not peculiar to any religion ; but equally
l)ractised by the worshippers of the true God and
by idolaters. Elijah was evidently in the habit of
retiring into solitude ; and the same may be said of
.John the Baptist. The schools of the prophets were
a species of religious communities. And so through-
out the East, from time immemorial, false religions
have had their solitaries and their monastic com-
munities. Philo testifies to the prevalence of reli-
gious communities in his time, worshippers of the

-J-

' ToaovTOV iTTKTrifirjvaiievoi, otl kui Kara Tovg r»7c Kaivijc Siad))-
KT/c vof^ovij ov ird^TTay dKijyopeverai ra TtJQ Trat^oTroiiac , aWn kciv
ToxjTtf TO. 7rapa7rX)/<Tta roic Tra'Xai deo(j)i\i(TH' ^taT-eVa/crat. Xpijyai
yap (priffiy o Xoyog tov kiriaKOTTOv yEyovivat fiidc yvpuitcdg di'Cpa.
U\))y dWa toIq etpwyneVoic Kai irepl r»)»' tov Oeov Btpmreiau ucr^o-
XnvneyoiQ uviyeiv Xoittoj' ffri)HC (ivtovq nponiiKfi rijg yo^«/C)7c ofii-
Xiac' oiToi Be ^t) rijg TOffavTt^c >/s/w)'rat upovpyiag, tovtokj u Xoyoc
Kadv<pir)(Tit' ^ovovov\iL hnppi}B))y iiTraaip KTipvrrwy, otl Brj TtfxwQ

K. T. X.

128

true God, readers of the Jewish Scriptures, given to
fasting and celibacy, to study and devotion. But
though he expressly affirms that they were to bo
found in many places, it is remarkable that after his
time we find them in Egypt alone ; and that we do not
meet with them again, until they are clad in the garb
of Christianity. It may perhaps be argued from the
circumstance that Clement of Alexandria dissuades '
wealthy men from renouncing their property, that
some in his time adopted this principal feature of
the ascetic life : but this does not necessarily follow,
for Le is only arguing as to the proper understanding
of a passage of Scripture. (IVIatt. xix. 21.) And by
instancing the old stoics as persons who renounced
worldly goods, he seems to imply that in his time
there was no class who did so. So again he uses
the term ^ov)7p>;e (i'log, a single life, which afterwards
signified the ascetic discipline ; but he uses it simply
to signify a state of celibacy, which he compares
with matrimony, and thinks inferior in usefulness.
There is no indication of any class making a pro-
fession of it. When, therefore, we encounter the
ascetics and hermits and monks in the writings of
Eusebius and Atlianasius and subsequent writers,

' He shows that we may rencunce it in spirit whilst we retain
the use of it to the honour of God and the good of others. Dc
Divite servanda, 13-16. He says, § 14. Ok- apa diroppiirTiov -a
Kai rovQ tteXoc wipeXovvra ^P'/juwa* KTt'ifiaTU yap Ian KTijrd ovra,
nai y^pyi^uTct xp>/(7tyu« ovTii, Koi etc XpTiaiv dyOpwTruy TruptffKtvaa-
fiiva vnu tov Qeov.

129

wo must remember tluat religious seclusion did not
arise from Christian celibacy, but was the produce of
natural religion in a certain class of minds, grafted
upon the faith and profession of the Gos|)el. The
ascetics and coiuobites already existing in Egypt
before the Gospel was brought there, would find
something in the Gospel which suited themselves.
The Christians who met together daily for devotional
exorcises in Jerusalem, who gave up all their goods
and had all things in common, would carry the same
feelings with them when they were scattered abroad
overy where preaching the word. And the devout
worshipper of one God in Egypt, w^ould have a
mind prepared for the reception of the Gospel, and
would not find that he must necessarily change his
characteristic habits when he received it. If he was
in habitual celibacy, it was rather an accident of the
system, than the end of it. lie wished to withdraw
his heart from the world, and therefore he would not
involve himself in worldly cares. It was not from
any aversion to marriage itself, but to its worldly
entanglements. Shall we say that he would have
done much better to mingle in the world, and set a
good example, and exert himself for the benefit of
his fellow creatures ? No doubt that, if well per-
formed, would have been a more honourable part ;
but it was far from being an easy one. lie felt it
much easier to retire, and endeavour to save his own
soul, by training it to the habits which he thought
likely to i)revail in heaven ; to reading and devotion,

•4.
Q
J-

130

uiul ,i»o(lly conversation, and intercourse with God.
Neither was he inactive and void of charity. Ho
read in order that he might instruct others, either
by writing or by teaching under the direction of the
bishop, or some more famous hermit. Or he laboured
with his hands at some mechanical or laborious
employment, and the produce of his industry he
bestowed where it was needed. And if a brother
required aid, whether for body or soul, or a heathen
came in his way whom he thought likely to be a
convert, or if from any undefined cause he felt an
attachment to any one, he gave himself to promote
his eternal good. IVIoreover he was much in prayer.
He showed his charity in j)rayer for others ; what he
could not do himself, God could do. It iiiight
be the vocation of others to be wealthy, and to use
wealth aright, — to marry and beget children, and
bring them up for Christ, to enter into the arduous
duties of the Christian ministry and the government
of Churches ; for himself he preferred not to mix
with men, lest he should become such as they, but
to cultivate continual intercourse with God, and to
bring down His Almighty Spirit by prayer to in-
fluence the hearts of others. Who shall say that he
was wrong ? Who shall say that prayer may not
oftentimes do more than the most active exertions?
Who shall say that we in this day should not be
more mighty through God to the pulling down of
strong holds of sin, if many of us were less busy, and
more prayerful ? Who shall say that wo are not as

much ill
and seel
the busi
his vocal
To ilh
once rea
mory, bii
Abram
fortune i
from the
vicinity,
his mee]
veneratic
was like'
which h;
missiona
At leng
thought
piety an
no one
persuasi(
himself
But he
He did
built the
was not
trustees,
tune, c(
intendec
^^'hen ]

131

kith God.
rity. I To
crs, cither
ion of the
laboured
laborious
dustry ho
a brother
a heathen
y to be a
he felt an

promote
in })rayer.
; what he
It iiiight

md to use
Idren, and
le arduous
overnment
ot to mix

1 they, but
3d, and to
yer to in-
lay that he
• may not
exertions ?
Lild not be
^ down of
s busy, and

are not as

much indebted even now to the prayers of the shy
and secluded, few as they are, as to the activity ol
tlie bustlin<^ and vigorous? Is not each useful in
Ills vocation?

To illustrate Avhat I have said I will tell a story I
once read in Ephrem Syrus. It is indeed from me-
mory, but the main features of it arc correct. Father
Abram was a hermit, who had given a handsome
fortune into the hands of trustees, and had retired
from the city of Alexandria into a lonely place in its
vicinity, and by his devotional and quiet habits, by
his meekness and unfailing charity, had gained the
veneration r.nd love of all that knew him. There
was likewise a heathen town in its neighbourhood,
which had resisted the eflbrts of missionary upon
missionary : every one returned baffled and (lisi)irited.
At length the bishop and some of the clergy be-
thought them of Abram, and hoped that his deep
piety and venerable character migh^^^ prevail where
no one else had succeeded. He combated their
persuasions for some time; but at length ho suffered
himself to be ordained, and undertook the mission.
But he did not undertake it in the ordinary way.
He did not go and preach to them : he went and
built them a church, though he knew well that there
was not a Christian in the place. He went to his
trustees, requested from them the relics of his for-
tune, collected materials and workmen, and sui)er-
intended the erection of a beautiful little temple.
"When it was erected he did not go through the

•-«

-a

J-

13J

strocts and invite the pooplo to conio and lioar Iiiin
preach ; he did not invito the bislioj) and nol<;hb()in-
ing clergy to coh'l)rato the consecrnfiou of it by an
imposing ceremonial ; he went in alone and prnj/ed.
He made his church his dwelling, and prayer his
occupation. Curiosity was excited. The inhabitants
entered, and found him praying for them. They
were enraged, and beat him very severely. Still he
resumed his ])rayers, and was again beaten. J5ut he
was not to be deterred so long as life lasted, whilst
his enemies became wearied of t/tcir occupation.
One of them began to think that they were cowardly
to beat one who did not resist, and ungrateful to
injure one who had spent so much and who bore so
much for no other perceivable end but their goo<l.
lie even proj)osed to his neighbours to come with
him and invite Father Abram to discourse to them.
To bring my story to a conclusion : they heard, they
believed, they v.ere ba[)tized. The whole place be-
came Christian. Abram then sent to the bishop to
provide some one to take charge of the Christian
community ; and he himself quitted his church and
his converts, and returned back to his solitude.

Shall we say that such a man was useless in the
world ? Shall we say that such a victory as this was
not well purchased by a life of solitude? Can we
affirm that it could have been achieved without it ?

I think my tale Mill speak for itself, and show that
the solitary was not altogether the selfish caricature
of a Christian we have been accustomed too much

133

1(1 hoar Iiiin

to think. ITo may not have boon a Clirlstian sucli as
wo SCO in a lii^^hiy oivilizod and rofinod community:
lie may have mistakon tlu; right application of Chris-
tian precepts in his own time even ; but ho did j)()si-
tivo good in the world ; he acted beneficially upon
the minds of his contemporaries. It was for this
reason no doubt that Athanasius, with the w]i(»le of
his contemporaries, revered the solitaries, and ac-
knowledged their services, although he did not him-
self choose that way of life. JJut there was a cir-
cumstance in the times in which Athanasius lived
which would have attached him to them Marmly,
even if he had entertained no previous prejudices in
their favour. We are to remember that Athanasius
was in his own day the great champion of tlio
Divinity of Christ ; that he acted, and wrote, and
suflercd and triumphed for this great doctrine : that
every event, and every institution and every indivi-
dual took its hue and colouring in his eyes from its
support or opposition to the cause in which ho was
embarked. When therefore he was engaged in this
vital struggle, and the ordinary Christian population
vacillated and fluctuated, and yielded to the storm
of persecution, and fell in with the court doctrine
whatever it might be, whilst on the other hand the
ascetics held fast the true faith under every change ;
and not only this, but Antony the most revered and
influential of their body, was so moved in the holy
cause, that he broke through all the ties of ha1)itual
solitude, and that fear of the allurements of ambition

J-

134

*-i

which kept him in solitude, and came once more
upon the public stage of the Church for no other
purpose but to lift up his voice in support of the
fundamental doctrines of the gosjiel ; can we wonder
under such circumstances that Athanasius should
regard him as one nearer to heaven than most men ?
Can we wonder that ho should admire the institu-
tions and habits which had thus preserved an un-
broken band of su])porters of true doctrine, when no
other class in the Christian Church had faith or
courage to remain unshaken ? Can we wonder that
he should receive with unscrupulous belief, even
with trusting credulity, all the wonders these men
recounted to him ?

But still, it will be replied, does not this show
that his feelings and ])rejudices were liable to run
away with his judgment? Suppose we grant that it
does, what does this amount to, but that we ought
to read his arguments and reasonings with caution,
and that we arc to take his facts with a grain of
allowance, when he took them from the recital of
others. But what has this to do with the use wc
make ordinarily of Athanasius ? Is it because wc
rely upon \usjn(h/mc)d that wc look upon him as one
of the most valued chami)ions of orthodoxy? Does
he himself profess to derive his faith from reasoning?
Does he regard himself as any thing more than the
depository of the faith once delivered to the saints,
and by the saints in every successive age handed
♦lown ? of a tradition universal when he was a

mcc more

no other

ort of the

we wonder

us shouhl

most men ?

le institu-

ed an nn-

e, when no

d faith or

onder that

ehef, even

these men

this show
able to run
;rant that it
it we ought
itli caution,

a grain of
c recital of
the use we
because wc

him as one
)xy ? Does
I reasoning?
)re than the

the saints,
fige handed

he was a

135

young man ? He believed the truth because it was
the ancient universal faith of the Church. lie co7i-
Jirmed it from Scripture ; but he had not learnt it
from Scripture. If he had, he might have distrusted
his judgment. But it was not the produce of his
own meditations. It had been handed down from
the beginning, and was consonant with Scripture;
and therefore he contended and suffered for it.
Athanasius therefore is of value to us, not for his
judgment, but as a ivitness ; as one witness amongst
many ; as a witness who showed that he was honest
by suffering the loss of all things, and risking life
itself for the truth he had received. He is valuabK',
moreover, as an example of what one faithful man,
of unflinching courage, and unceasing perseverance,
can do against the combination of all worldly power,
and the timiditv or faithlessness of those who ought
to have supported him.

I return to give an account of Athanasius' esti-
mate of celibacy, and of that of his contemi)orarics.
We find that young people who were not of age,
sometimes professed virginity, and that he admired
this power of Christ in them which led them so to
do ' ; we find him calling it an image of the holiness

* I)e Incarrialione Verh'i Dei, 51. Tt'c ovv hiOfrnwcot' lu-h
Oav'UTov, *i uWwc, ^uif TTfpt 7ra()9£i'/ac tEl^ate, Kftl oi/fc dcvvd-ov
ih'ui T))v o()£r»)»' rai/r>/)' iu oV&pwTrotc 5 (tW o linireiwg i!:;rvp Kid
Twi' TTurrwr (iatriXevQ Xptorof roaovrov "i(j)(yEV kv rij ireol rnvrift;
( iraor^ctX/^j, wc ^''t TTUi^ia, fxiiwu) r»/c lo^if-ir]^ ^fXiKuir tirijiiiird, 7>/i'
inrtp rur tojxoi' innyytWtrfOai irafiOtiun ,

t
4

136

>-.

of angels ', and declaring that the members of thr
virgins were the peculiar proi)erty of Christ ^ lie
relates on his own return to Alexandria, after a long
banishment, that the spirit of religion which was
well nigh extinct, began to revive ; and as one great
proof of it he remarks, " How many of the unmarried,
who were previously disposed to marry, remained
in celibacy for Christ's sake ! lie ,v many young men
seeing others who had embi'aced the solitary life,
loved it also ! How many fathers exhorted their
children to these steps, and how many parents were
advised by their children not to be hindered from
disciplining themselves for Christ's sake ! How many
wives persuaded their husbands, and how many
husbands their wives to give themselves up to
prayer, according to the apostle's exhortation \"

' Ad ConsUint'inum ylpologia, 33. 'O tov Qtov Yioc 6 Kvpioc
Kai 2wr?)p ///uw*' ^lijffovg Xpicrrog, apOpioirog yevoixEvog Si >/juac, Kal
KciTapyi'iffUQ Tvv QavaTOV IXivdepuxrac ti to yivoq yfiCjy dwo rf/c
^ouXf/ac Tijg <j)dopdg, kyapiaaro, vpot; toIq nWotg Tr/tffj, Kai elKura
r^c rwi' ayytXwv ayi6-T)roQ tx^"' '/M"C ^"'^ 7^1^ '"'/'' "'apQei'/a*'. T«(j
yovv Tavrr]v k\nvnag Ti]v dpeTi)i', vvfKpuQ tov XpidTOV KaXrlv e'ivjOev
>'/ KufloXtk)) £k(c\jj(T('a' rauroc ^£ "K\X?j)'£c opwirtC) wc fuof ovaat;
TOV Aoyov Qavfiai^ovtTi' Trap' ovdei'l yap nXTfdwc tovto rd (Ttfiiov
Kui ovpaviov iTTuyyiX^u KaTopdovrni, */ Traprt fioroiQ v/ilr role
XpiiTTiavolg. jNIaXtffra y«p kui tovto fxiyn TiK^lipiov tffri, tou
Trap yfut> tlrai t))v oi'twc Kal a'XrjOi/ deoaijSitav,

2 OvToi (the Arians, who tormented and wounded them when
they prevailed) Tt)v parlay tov UiXarov VEriKt'iKairiv, on fit] fxiav
TrXfvpap, a'XX' cifKbOTtp^c tsCffav. To yop /ic'Xj; tmp irapdirwy
t'sfupfVwc iSia TOV i)wr>7('oc tort.

^ JJhturia Ar'iarwrum ad Moiiaclios, 25. jNIfyaX?/ yovy i/v

But A

speaks

thing ai

ever, o

alone ;

great b(

He t

habits i

thing lil

The fnovi

a single

or a col]

may be

lived in i

thence 1

and, his

Ev^poavi'T)

dpETl'lV.

tliEiyav TTi
TOV novi\f.
Ttoaoi he
Xptffrw do
avBpit>i> In

* Expo
TOV Qtov
vapaftaati
'A^nyu, Toi

To ^£
flUQv ii f,

h^0V1]V. I

by the
Athanasii

137

crs of tln'
i-ist^. lie
fter a long
^vhich was
5 one great
unmarried,
remained
young men
)litary life,
3rted their
rents were
lered from
How many
how many
vos up to
lortation ^"

Y'loQ 6 Kvpiuc
)C h' >//iac, Kai
ilfiCov dnu Tti(j
'icTi, Kui sIkuiii

; icaXf'ii' liiodtv
wc radv ovauQ
WTO t6 (Tturdv
voiq »//i«>' TuiQ

'/(UOJ' tiJTi, TOV

led them when
IV, on fxi} fiiav
TMV napQii'tJJv

ya\j/ yovv »'/»'

But Athanasius goes further than this; he even
speaks of marriage itself, as Milton does, as a corrupt
thing and the first fruits of the fall '. Herein, how-
ever, of orthodox writers, he is almost or quite
alone; being, as we shall see, contradicted by the
great b«dy of fathers and councils.

He testifies to the wide prevalence of ascetic
habits in his day: but it is doubtful whether any
thing like a modern monastery was then to be found.
Tlie ^ovoffr/j/otov of his days seems to have been either
a single cell, not necessarily connected with any other,
or a collection of such cells. The progress of things
may be exemplified by the case of Antony. He first
lived in a single cell, in or very near Alexandria : from
thence he withdrew to a retired spot in the country,
and, his reputation rising, he was followed by those

Evfpoavi'rf riJii' Xawy kv rate (Tvya.l,tiJi Trapo^vvaPTtov aXKifXovQ c/'c
uperi'iv. Ylotrni riLv dya^ioy, irpoTtpoy ovaui npug yafiov iroifioi,
tfiiipav irapdeyoi r^ Xpiaro) ; Huffoi rewrepoi, pXinovTiq eripovc,
Toy fioyi'ipr} fiioy I'ly/nrqffay ; IToo-ot Trart'pec TrpoiTpnrov reKya ;
noaoi ^E Kat irapa riicrioy Ti^iu)di)(Tay fiy) e/jLTro^i^iirBai rj/c £»'
Kpt(Tr(p dtTKt'ifTEoJc; Uoaai yvycutcsc tweKrav iiyOpac ; Troorit ^e nnpa.
aydpHy ETrtiadtjfrav ffj^oXa^eir n; TrpofTEwxjj) <^c eJitep 6 'ATrrJoroXoc ",

' Exposit'to in Psalm. 1. 7. 'ETret^i) 6 Trpo/jyopoujuevoc (tkottoc
Tov Qeov 7\y Tov fjii) ^ta ydfiov yiyEtrdai j/^ctc '>•■"» (pdopag' »/ ^e
zapaflatTtq r>jc evroXjjc Toy ytifiov EinifyayEV lik to dyofiriaai tov
'A^Ufi, TovT 'iffTiy ddETriaai Toy ek Oeov hoQivTa avT^ vo^ov

To Ze Kai' Ev dfiupTiaiq, k, t. X. (ji]^aiyEi oVt >/ Ewa TrLyTbty
{)fiuiy »/ firjTtfp TrpuiTr] EKiaar](iE Tt)y a/uaprt'ar, CimrEp opywaa t}]v
ilSoyi'iy. It must be observed, however, that it is doubted, even
by the Romanist Dupin, whether this commentary is really
Athanasius's.

138

i»-«

r t

wlio were desirous of being under Iiis guidance.
Fearing, however, the effects of so much respect on
his own mind, he withdrew secretly into the desert ;
but there he was found out ; and as he had built a
cell for himself, so those who followed him built
each his separate cell near his. Finally, to be
entirely alone, he withdrew to an almost inacces-
sible mountain. This, no doubt, was the origin of
Christian monasteries. The reputation which the
Egyptian solitaries gained in the great Arian con-
flict caused their example to be followed. Atliana-
sius saw it spread to Italy ; and in fifty years more
the system had taken a settled form, and was be-
come a regular discipline. It seems probable too, but
far from certain, from a passage in Athanasius's life
of Antony, that there were regular establislmients
for the professed virgins, in which they lived toge-
ther in society.

There is one thing, however, perfectly clear from
the panegyrics of Athanasius upon religious celibacy,
and from the increasing popularity of asceticism,
that the moral conduct of the devotees must have
been generally unexceptionable; that father him-
self testifies to the scrupulous modesty of the virgins '.
Indeed we learn from him that religious celibacy
and martyrdom, were the standing miracles of the

' Htstoria Arianorum, 55. Et^dret; yap (the Arians) to affiiov
Tuiv iruf/divijjf, /cat to rfje (iKofjg axpo.PToy, kuI vti fiaWop XiOovq
joai ^i(pr), y ra rfJQ ula\poppr]fioavvT]i; (pipeiy Cvvnvrai p>/^ora,
TuvTOu t^pwrro kut uvt&v Intp^uf.tEvoi,

Church

with th

regular

there w

them, a

mentior

children

irreversi

fathers,

proposec

there.

The*
348, the
added ni
merely
and wid
living w

' Ep'ist

fjirai TrapO
De inca
Otupeiro)
Kal kv role
TTiariv iv
note' p. 1
' Uisto

KaTtKOTZrOV
Kai TUQ Kf^

' Epist
fii'lKatTi, fj.

(TKOTTOVQ

■* Cano}

139

guidance,
respect on
:ie desert;
ad built a
him built
Uy, to be
st inacces-
e origin of
wliicli the
\rian con-
. Atliana-
years more
id was bc-
,ble too, but
iiasius's life
ablishments
lived toge-

clear from
lus celibacy,

asceticism,
, mast have
father him-
the virgins'.
3us celibacy
acles of the

ians) TO at^ruv
. fiaWoy XiOovQ
vnvrai p>)/xara,

Church in his day, which wrought most powerfully
with the heathen'. It is evident likewise from their
regular attendance publicly in the churches, that
there was no seclusion as yet introduced amongst
them, although they veiled themselves ^ From his
mention likewise of monks who married and had
children, it is evident that the profession was not
irreversible ^ ; and from that of bishops who became
fathers, that they were not yet bound to the rule
proposed in the council of Nice, and negatived
there.

The first Synod of Carthage, which was held a.d.
348, the yeo of Athanasius's first return from exile,
added notl i ^ o the stringency of the celibate. It
merely prohibited those who had taken the vow,
and widows, from having persons of the other sex
living with them *, for the sake of avoiding scandal

' Ep'ist. ad Dracontium, 7. *H ouxt /itya ar]\iiiov Koptjv iroi-
ijaai TrapOEVEveiv, Koi rewTtpov iyKpaTEveadai;

De incarnatione Verbi Dei, 48. llapira) yap o ftovXofxevoe, Kal
d^topEiTO) rije fXEV apiriis to yvwpiiTfia kv raig Xpiarov Trapdivoie
Kal kv Tolg auxpnoirvrrjv ayvtvovai vewrkpoiCf riig te d0ava,'"'ac r»/v
iriany ky t^ ToaovT(^ tu>v ^apriipbtv avTov x°PV' ^^^ mor*. >ver
note' p. 130. ravrag ^e"E\\?jv£c k. t, \.

' Ilisloria Arian. 56. Ta ^£ tuv irapQivwv ayia awfiarn.
KaTiKOTTTOv irXrjyoig oi ddeot (the Arians), tlXKUfTe to. aKtnuafjLara
(vat rue /C£0a\ac avTwi' kyvfxvovv.

' Ernst, ad Dracont. 9. IloWot ^e ruty kirinrKUTrijjy ov^e yeya-
ju//ka(rt, iJ.ova-)(oi t"£ iraTEptq TEKvwy yEyuyaaiv' wairEp Kai £7ri-
aKonovQ Traripac TEKywy Kai fioya-)(pve k'^ oXoKXi'ipov yivovc Tvy-

J-

)(oiTac.
* Canon iii. and iv.

140

»-<

.'111(1 tcinptatioii. These canons nndonbtcdly show
tliat there were some who took the vow, who after-
wards gave reason to think that tliey did not keep
it from tlie heart. The more natural course, as we
imagined, would have been to prohibit the takin;^
up a })ublic profession ; but this we have learnt by
experience. The feeling of those days wiis, that as
the vow was taken to God, it was necessary to
keep it ; and therefore to removti all temptation to
break it.

The next author we shall have recourse to is St.
Cyril, of Jerusalem, a contemjjorary still of Athana-
sius, but of a very different school. Ilis style is for
the most part simple and didactic, with just so mudi
of the figurative as to show him an oriental, and
with extremely little of exaggeration. His opinions
may tliercfore be taken as a fair specimen of the
average o]»inion of his age : and there cannot be
selected a fairer specimen of his views than tluit to
be found in the fourth of his Catechetical Lectures.

He first of ail totally condemns those who re-
garded the body as the cause of the soul's degrada-
tion, and consequently punished it in every May '.
" Tell me not, that the body is the cause of sin. — It
is not the body which sins of itself, but the soul by
means of the body. The body is <^lie instrument,

' Cat, iv. 23. Mf) Xc'ye |uoi to aw^a Trofjct/rtoi' ajjapruK:

ilvai To aHo/jin ov)(^ ufxapTiii'ei Ka9' touro, aWu ^lii aw-

fiuTOQ i) tpv^ii' ipyaXiiof enri to rrCif-in, i;iu loantp if-iuTiof Knl
<Tro\)) xpu^ijc Kuy /uti' i/tto tuvttic TTO()i'ti<jL napalodrj, yiyerui ukc'c

and as i

tiien it

becomei

it becoE

" An^

let the <

who an

and the]

is the c

indulger

enrolled

chastity,

thy deec

"Noi

chastity,

the hun

honoura

Ajiostle.

(lapToW a

I-UITOQ. .

Kai TO I

/(oj'ofovroj

M»/ fiikpur
tvayyeXiKi

(TU(l)pO(TVytj

aUt f.
uTroftelJijKo
Twi' ytyoyL

141

and as it were the garment and robe of the soul ; if
then it be abandoned by the soul to fornication, it
becomes unclean ; but if it dwell with a holy soul,
it becomes the temple of the Holy Ghost.

" And as to the doctrine of chastity, above all,
let the order of solitaries and of "virgins attend to it,
who are establishing in the world an angelic life ;
and then the rest of the Church's people also. Great
is the crown laid up for you, brethren ; for a j)oor
indulgence barter not a high dignity. — Having been
enrolled in the angelical books for thy purpose of
chastity, beware lest thou be blotted out again for
thy deed of fornication.

" Nor again on the other hand, whilst observing
chastity, be thou puffed up against those who choose
the humbler path of wedlock. For ' marriage is
honourable, and the bed undefiled,' as saitli the
Apostle. Thou too, who keepest thy purity, wert

HaproV eav ce ay/^i ^"'Xf' ovyoit^t'iar], yherai pads 'Ayiov Tlpev-
fiaroQ

Kcii Tiiy izepi (Ktxbpotrvvrjr Xdyoi', Trporjyovfiivtog fxsv ukovetu) t&v
^ioi'a^6vT(tJV Kill Twv TnipOevo)y ru ruyfia twv tov laayytKov (iiov
tK KorTfid) KaropdvvvTtov. Mc'yac ifjMV airuKtirai ari^avOQ, a^eXcpoi.

Ml) fiiKpttQ fiSoviie uvTiKUTaWn^rire fieyuXyjy a^iav 'Ei/ toIq

ivayytXiKoiq jil^XoiQ Xonrdf tyypa<pv,(Tt\ hut ti)v vpoOeaiv rffg
(TWcfipoavytjQ, BXitre fxi) iraXiv f.i,uXeiipOrJQ hid Tt)v Tropviictiu epya-
aia V.

M//0£ aw iraXiv KaropOwy r»/v atJcfypoavvTjv TvfXwOfjg icarU twv
'uT:o(ielh]KVTU)y tv yafitg)' Tifnog yap v yafXOQ Kui // koLt^] ufxinvrog,
(!»(; (jirjaiy « inroaToXoQ. Kat (tv, o n)v &yvdav e'x*^>', upu ovk c'/c
Tbjy ytyan^KOTtoy tyeyriiOtjc; J\h| ycij), oVt xpvfftou ktj/ctu' t'x^tt', ru

J-

142

tlioii not born of married persons ? Do not, because
thou hast a possession of gold, set at nouglit the
silver. But let those who are married be of good
cheer, who use marriage lawfully ; who subject their
marriage to laws, not making it wanton by unbounded
licence; who observe seasons of abstinence, 'that
they may give themselves unto prayer;' who with
clean raiment bring their bodies also clean to the
assemblies of the Church ; wlio have entered into
the state of matrimony not for indulgence, but for
the sake of issue. And let not those who have
been but once married, set at nought them who have
involved themselves in a second marriage. Conti-
nence is indeed a noble thing and an admirable ;
yet we should make allowance for a second marriage,
that the weak may not commit fornication."

This language was used by Cyril, when appointed
to deliver lectures in Lent, to the candidates for
baptism. They may therefore be considered as the
settled doctrine of the Church of Jerusalem in his
thne. We may see that in this particular department

apyvpiov aTToloKiiia^t. *A\\' iviXinhEQ 'iaru)aav Kul o'l iv yafio)
vofiifjLtoQ ry yd/^^ ')^^pwiAEvoi' ol yafiov 'ivQta^ov, aWd fit) tovtov
a<T(.\yi\ KaruaKEVul^ovTtq Sid Tijy Ufitrpov i^ovalav' ol yivilxricovTEt:
KaipovQ dvEffEwe, tVa a')(p\a^(oai rp TrpoaEvxfj' ol fiErd twv evSv^iu-
TO)v Kadapd Trpo(f>EpovTEQ kv Toig avvuh,E(Jiv eIq EKKXrjffiav tci aw-
Hara' ol Sid to TEicvoyoyE~iv aW ov Sid to (piXrjSoyElv rji yafxip
TrpoffEXrjXvdoTES.

Kal ol fxovoyafioi Se tovq Sevtep^ (TVfiirEpiEVE')(dEPras /kj) diroSo-
KijxaiiETioffav' KaXoy fiEvydp y lyKpaTEia koI davnamoy' avyyvitXTTuv
Se KUi Ti^ SsvTEp^ yfi/ixj) Trpo(TEXOE~iy, lyu fit) nopvEvamaiv ol dadEVE~iQ.

143

of morals, lie does unqucstiona})ly regard celibacy
as at the top of the treo ; but not on account of
any impurity in marriage, which he takes pains to
deny.

Another passage will be sufficient to give a full
view of his doctrine and feelings ' :

" Adored bo the Lord, born of a virgin, and let
the virgins understand what is the crown of their
own condition. Also let the order of Solitaries
understand the renown of chastity ; for we too are
allowed the same dignity. For nine months was the
Saviour in the womb of the Virgin ; but the Lord
was a man for threc-and-thirty years ; so that if a
virgin has to boast of those nine months, much more
we of those many years.

" But run we all by tlie grace of God the race of
chastity, young men and maidens, old men and chil-
dren ; not going after licentiousness, but praising

the name of Christ.

Let us not be ignorant of the

* Cat. xii. 33. UpoirKvytifTQu) o Ik irapQivov yEvvi^Qtiq Kipjoij.
Rett yvwpii^tTbXjav al napBEioi rTji; oiKiiag iroXiTeicus roy arifat'oy.
Vvcopi^iroj tt rwy fiopa^uyTujy ru 7ay;<a rljc uyvtiag to liri^o'ioy'
ov yap airetTTEpii^tQa tov rj/t uyi'Etoc aL,>.')fiaTO£. 'E»' yaarpi (Atv
wapdirov yiyovtv o rnv SwrJ/poc ivveanrivia'ioz 6 ■)(^^)6yoc, ayt)p ^e
yiyovtv « Kupiot; rpmKoi'ra cat rpla ittj' wote el (re^yvyeTUi
■KupBiroQ hid tov tyytafiijvia'i'jy ^powv, ttoXu fidWoy //)U£tc hih
TO TToXuertc TU)y '^(poyijjy,

Ilciirec Se roy r»/c ayytiaQ hpofioy rj5 OfoO x^C""' ^pd/^Mfisy,
yeayifTKoi ical TrapQiyoi, irpEffftvTepoi /u£ro vecortpwy, ovk dKoXaatuc
l-itTioyTEi; ttW ah'ovi'TEQ to urofia tov \ptaTov, T\I// dyioSiaio^iiv
"T/c ay y due to 'Eyhot,oy' dyyeXiKuv yc'ip tOTiy o aTi^avoi: ku\ virep

1.
>

144

glory of chastity ; for its crown is angelic, an<l its
perfection superhuman. Let us be chary of these
our bodies, which are to shine as the sun. Let us
not for a little pleasure pollute a body of such capa-
city and dignity : for the sin is small and only for an
hour, but the shame is for many years, yea, eternal.
Angels on earth are they who follow chastity ; the
virgins have their part with Mary the Virgin. Let
all vain ornament be banished away, and every
hurtful look and wanton gait, and all dress and per-
fumes, which are the baits of pleasure. The per-
fume of all of us be the prayer of sweet savour, even
of good works, and the sanctification of our bodies ;
that the virgin-born Lord may say of us also, both
of men who keep their chastity, and of women who
receive the chaplet, ' I will awcll in them and walk in
them ; and I will be their God, and they shall be my
people:' — To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

avOpioirov to Karopdtofia, ^tiffdjiitOa tS)V aufiartav rwv fitWovTiiiv
Xa^TTttv i)Q 6 i]\tOQ. /xi) Cia ^iKpav >iSov))y to ttjXikovtuv kui to(j-
ovTOV ffUfJia fioXvviJiiEV' fiiKpd ^tv ydp Ka\ Trpoi,' Apav /y a^aprla,
TroXvETi)e Se Koi atun'toc »/ atffj^ui'jj. "AyyeXoi TnpnraTovvTEg tm
yfiC tlaiv 01 TTJe ayi'tiag ipyctTai. al irapQivoi fitTtl Mapiug Tt'ic
napdivov i^ovai to ^ipoC' 'E^opii^iadut ttuc KaXXwTrKT^oc ko* Tti*'
UTTjpoy (iXififia kuX ■ku.q irtpiizaTOQ irtpitnavpfiivoQ, Kui irdaa arvXi)
Kni dvfiiufxa ij^iovfig ^eXeacTTiKoy. dvfiiafia ^e Lv iraaiv tdrw »'/ irpoa-
tvyr} rf/e Evuiliaq cat // Tdtv uyuQdv irpdi,ni)v, Koi u twv (Tw^arwv
iiyiacrfioe' li'a 6 Ik TrnpStVou yEyvrjduQ Kvpiog e'iirri Kat vTrep iifiuiy
dyBpaiy te tUv uyvEvorTtov Kai yvvaiKtiy twv <TTE(j>avovfjiEvwy, 'Ey-
oiKi'iaw ky uvto'iq kui E^TrEpinaTiiaio, Kui kffojxai auTwy Oedg Kai
HVToi ttruyTai fxoi Xav<;. 'Hi »y So^u eIq roi/t uldyav Twy iiluiyo)y.
AfJit'iy.

KUi ftXh
liirwg iy
r'tXXw Ce

145

One passage more ' ; and 1 quit this Fatlier.
" Consider, I pray, of each nation, bishops, |)riests,
deacons, solitaries, virgins, and other laity ; and then
behold the Great Protector and Disj)enser of their
gifts : how throughout the world he gives to one
chastity, to another perj)etuai virginity, to another
almsgiving, to another voluntary poverty, to another
power of repelling hostile spirits."

n\ Amen."

VTUV Kal TUff-

rwy (TuifXdTwy

CHAPTER II.

There can be but little doubt that from this time
forward, for a very considerable time, the doctrine of
Cyril was generally held in the Church. I shall
therefore, in my further citations not think it neces-
sary to mention particularly those who agree with
him. But if I meet with any case which shows
that the Church was not committed to any false
doctrine on the subject, or any instances of persons
of eminence who do not appear to have gone to the
extent of the general feeling, these I will mention.
The next writer then I will adduce is Zeno,

* Cat. xvi. 22. BXtTTt fioi l/caVrou tdyovQ fKiaKo-rrovQ, vpcff-
jivripovQ, hctKoi'ovQ, juoj'a'^ovrocj nnpOtyovc, Kal Xonrovc XaiKOVQ,
Kui ftXiire Toy ptyav UpofTTurr}y Kcii rCJy ^npiafxariov ^dpo^ov,
linojg iv Troj'ri rw Kuafu^ tm fxey ayyeiay, rw ^e aenrupdeylay,
f'tAXw ce aKTTi^oavyriy, iiXXtp a-rriXaaiy nvEvnuTuiy uvTiKtifiiywy

14G

of Verona, who floiirislicd about .'300 ; of wlioin wo
have ninety sormons romainiiig. My (»l>joct in
(luoting liiin is to show, tluit although ho rccognlzos
the virgins and widows, and admires their condition,
ho yet equally recognizes the honour of the married
state, and that he extols other virtues, patience for in-
stance, in the same terms in which he exalts virginity.
Thus in his Sermon on Continence he shows that
|)o[>ular feeling in his part of the Church was in
favour of marriage and against virginity, and ex-
])ressly declares that in recommending the latter, he
did not condemn the former'. Again, he classes
together the married and the celibates, as having an
Cipial share in the joys of the Gosj)el ^ " Exult ye

' Si cui forte aspcruni videtur ac durum, quod fiducialitor
loquimur, fratres, rem penc contra naturam ; jam jamquu desi-
nat pcrmoveri, intelligcns Christiana; virtutis banc esse maxi-
niam gloriam ipsam calcare naturam. Scd quia virtus volup-
tates semper ofFuscat, nihilque cuique nisi quod amaverit rectum
est, maxime quod uno desiderio omnes cxcolunt populi, dubium
non est, quin aut hostis publicus, aut certe judicetur insanus,
quisquis nuptias dissuascrit. At ego non pertimescain scrmonis
publici qua; de me fabuletur invidia : non enim nuptias con-
demno, sed nuptiis mcliora propono : et quidem ipso Apostolo
hortante. Sic Paulo, &c.

Itaque in statu quo nata est permanens, virgo, gloriare ; sanc-
tique pudoris florem nuUi legi subjectam fidei tbesaurum cus-
todi. Esto sancta et corpore et spiritu. Amore Christi ignem
carnis extingue.

* Sernio de spirituali Md'ijicationc domus Dei. Exultate
seniores : vos estis lapidibus adamantinis meliorcs. Exultate
pucri, sacra) turris dulces et sine pietio niargarita;. Felicia

147

arrod, yo nro bettor tlinn rock a of ml am ant. rAiitl
ye cliildrcMi ; sweet and inostiinable jiearls of tlio
sacred tower. Exult yo happy marriages ; yo
on/^rave gems preferable for adorimunit to your-
selves. l*^xult ye widows : by tho exact j)roi)ortion
of your virtue ye unite in marria<^o with the ('orner
Stone. Exult ye virgins : ye adorn all these honour-
able conditions by the beauty of your own bloom.
Exult ye rich, &c. Exult ye ])oor, &c."

So again he classes together the chastity of mar-
ried persons and celibates : for in his sermon on
e/idstih/ \ after declaring that it was the cement of
society and of all domestic relations, lie goes on thus
to apostrophize it. " IIovv admirable art thou, O
chastity, who wouldst not be extolled in any other
way than by being kept, content with the single
ornament of a good conscience. Thou in virgins art
hapi)y, in widows powerful, in married persons faith-

exultate conjugia : meliores ornatui gemmas sculpitis, qiiam vos
cstis. Exultate viduoe : quadratura vestraj virtutis angularis
lapidis conjugio cohoeretis. Exultate virgines : oninem istam
celebritatem lionoro vestri floris ornatis. Exultate divitco, &c.
Exultate pauperes, &c.

» De jntd'tcitia. Usee totius humani generis fundamenta con-
firmat : liacc nominum proprietates universis afFectibus praestat :
lia'C parentum, conjugum, liberorumque sacra jura custodit.

Quanta est [Q,. es] miranda pudicitia, quae alitor laudari tc
nonvis, quam ut custodiaris, solo bonae conscientice ornamento
contenta. Tu in virginibus felix ; in viduis fortis ; in conjugiis
fidelis ; in sacerdotibus pura ; in martyribus gloriosa ; in augelis
clara; in omnibus vero rcgina."

C V

148

fill, in the clergy pure, in martyrs glorious, in the
angels bright, and in all a queen."

In what stronger terms could the purity and worth
of marriage be expressed ? So that we find a con-
temporary of Cyril in a distant part of the vineyard,
and one like him averse from the strifes of the age,
and given to the promotion of practical piety, afford-
ing his testimony, that even yet the Church was not
as a body corrupt in her doctrine. His language, it
is true, m speaking of virginity is strong and rhe-
toricd, and so it is in speaking on other subjects.
For example, he thus apostrophizes ^>flr^/6'wcc '. "O
how could I desire, if possible, to extol thee more.
Patience, queen of all things, by my own habits. . . .
Thou stande't by virginity, that her bloom may
not a';op oft through any blight, through any length
of tiiiiC. Thcu art the appointed and faithful haven
of pitiabi': widowhood, in the frequent hurricanes of
the ever-elirujging i -clemency of the weather. Thou
like a skilful charioteer, with gentle rein directest
those who submit their untaught necks to the most
holy yoke of wedlock, to an equal effort of toil or

' Sermo dc Patientia. O quam vellem te, si possim, rerum

omnium regina Patientia, magis moribus concelebrare

Tu virginitati praestas, ne flos ejus ullo morbo, ullo tempore
deflorescat. Tu variarum semper intempestatum crebris tur-
binibus constituta fidissimus miserandos viduitatis es portus,
Tu sanctissimo conjugali jugo rudi cervice subeuntes in nisum
laboris vel amoris iequalem, retinaculis blandis, quasi quidani
peritus auriga componis.

mg;

' C07l

decor p

ratione

apud vi

habcret,

insitam

ad cont

sanctita

minosa

jejuniis

naturan

humiliti

citation^

149

IP, in tlic

and worth
ind a con-
vineyard,
f the age,
3ty, afford-
h was not
mguage, it
;' and rhe-
r subjects.
ticcK "O
thee more,
habits. . . .
)loom may
any length
thful haven
irricanes of
lier. Thou
in directest
the most
of toil or

possim, rerum
ire

ullo tempore
n crebris tur-
tis es portus,
ntcs in nisum

quasi quidain

love." In what age of the Church shall wo find a
juster appreciation of the true dignity, of wedlock ?

Thus again Titus of Bostra, in Arabia Petraja,
(a. d. 362) expressly declares \ that the practice of
celibacy no more goes upon the idea of any impurity
in marriage, than that of fasting upon any sin in eat-
ing ; but that both are taken up on the selfsame
grounds of discipline and humiliation.

It is very unfortunate that all the poems ascribed
to Damasus of Rome are spurious ; else they might
have furnished JNIr. Taylor some delightful specimens
of superstition, esi)ecially in the article of prayers to
saints, who happen to be virgins and celibates.
But even Bellarmine gives them up, and therefore
Mr. Taylor will scarcely like to avail himself of
thorn.

We therefore pass on to the Council of Gangra,
which is reckoned by Du])in to have been held about

' Contra Manichceos, ii. Sed quomodo esset in hominibus
decor pudicitiae privatae, nisi natura esset quod titillaret, et
ratione coerceretur ? Ubi esset apud mulieres virginitas, aut
apud viros intractatio nuptiarum, nisi ratio amorem sanctitatis
haberet, quce naturaliter certans eos, qui recte cupiditatem
insitam reprimunt et domant, victores declararet ? idque non
ad contumeliam natura?, sed ad exercitationem tolerantiae et
sanctitatis. Sic sane cibis et potionibus delectamur, non cri-
minosa voluptate fruentes (naturalis enim haec est) : et tamen
jejuniis nos exercemus ; non quod est supra naturam contra
nuturaui exercentes, sed tolerantiam ampleetentcs, et Deuni per
humilitatem placantes et propitium rcddcntes. Nunquam exer-
citationem jejunii suscipcremus, nisi fames esset in corpore.

150

this time, although Bisliop Bevcridgo places it thirty
or forty years earlier. The canons of this council
testify to the existence of a small party in the
Church, the Eustathians, who held extreme notions
on the subject of virginity. What they were we
shall learn by the canons themselves.

The first canon condemns those who regard mar-
riage as a pollution, and believe that a married
person cannot be saved ^ The fourth is against
those who say that we must not take the communion
from the hands of a married priest ^ The ninth is
against those who keep their virginity, not because
of its excellence, but because they think marriage to
be an abominable thing ^ The tenth is against
those celibates who insult married persons*. The
fourteenth is against those who forsake their hus-
bands, as considering marriage a pollution^ . The

' Koi'. a. Et TiQ Tov yafxov nificpoiTO Koi t}\v KuQtvtovauv fUTii
Tov clrcpuQ aurJ/G, ovaav iriariiv /cat tvatftri, fi^tXvnrffoiTO T/ fiifitfioiro,
wc "I' fi)i Bvia^ifrfv £/c (iatriXeiai' eitTEXdEly, avudef^ia Earto. This
was levelled against the Eustathians,

* c. E'i 7/G ^lUKpivoiTO TTE^'i TTpEerfivTEpov yEyafiriKoroc, we ^»)
■)(pfjfai XeiTovpy^iffavroQ avrov Trpoff^opac fitraXal^Eh', dyaOEfJin

Effru),

&. Et Tiq TrapdivEVOl j) lyKpUTEVOlTO, wc a.v ftcEXvTTiov TWV
ya^wv a'j'a^wpwj/, Kai fit) Si avru tv KiiXuf Kai iiyiov ri/c Traptlti/ac,
araOtfia torw.

4 i, Et rtf rCJy napdEVivovTwv Eui tuv Kvpiov KaTEiraipoiro twv
yEyaixt]K()T(i)i', aviiQEfia Etrrio.

* t^'. Et rtc yvv)) KarnXiHTrdt'oi rur drSpa kui ur(t\(i)pe'iv eOeXoi,

fldEXvTTOfiEVr) TUV ydflOV, UvdOEfiU ifXTU),

Twr fjft'a
yh'taOai

151

s it thirty
is council
ty in the
le notions
were we

jgard mar-

a married

is against

ommunion

he ninth is

ot because

narriage to

is against

t)ns^ The

their hus-

ion'^ . The

ivcovauy ^£r«
iro j) fjiifi(ltoiT<),
t etrrm. This

ihly, dvudefiu

rijg TrapOEi'imj,
TtiralpoiTU TWV

sixteenth is against those children who under pre-
tence of piety forsake their parents *.

The fathers of this council conclude in the fol-
lowing words ' : " We ordain these things, not to
exclude those members of the Church of God, who
would, according to the advice of Holy Scripture,
discipline themselves : but those who use austerity for
a pretence to gratify their ambition, mIio despise
those who lead an ordinary life, and who introduce
innovations contrary to Scripture and the laws of
the Church. We admire virginity when it is accom-
panied with humility ; we praise self-denial which is
joined with purity and prudence; we respect that
retirement from worldly business which is made with
humility : but we also respect the honourable inter-
course of marriage In a word, we wish and

desire that those things maybe observed in the Church,

' it'. E< Tiva TtKva yoviiav, fxctXiara ttkttuh', ava-)((opoir) wpo-
(j)iiffEi BeoiTElieiac, avddefia 'iaTU).

* ToOra Si ypdipo^ev, ovic eKtcoTrrovTet Tovg i\' rtj £KK\7jai(f tov
Oeov kutU Tag ypatpag a(7iCE~i(7dni /BovXo^o'ouc, uWo Tovg \afjftd-
vovTUQ Tiju vTTodEffiv TJ/C daKijaEuiQ Euj viTEprjipayEiav, Kara tUv
ci^EXt'oTtfJoi' l3iovT(t)P ktrmpofiivovQ te Koi napd rdg ypafdg cat
Tovg EKt:\r)(na(TTit:ovg Karuvug Kuiri<Ti.iovg Eiadyoirag. 'llnE~ig
Toiyupovy Kai Tropf^f I'tav jutrrf THirEirotppoaviijg Oavfiu'Cof^Ev, Koi
lyKpaTEiav fitrd dEoaEJiEiag (cat (TEfirurr)Tog yivofXEVi]v aTzohE\6-
[iEOa, Kat ai'Wj^ijjprfffiv tS)v EyKoafiiuiv irpayjidriav Kard TawEit'o-
fpoavprfg airoSE\<)^Eda, khi ydfiov (TVvoiKrfaiv aEfi\i]v Tifm/XEi'

Kat, TTttfra avpEXorriog eItte'iv, rd TrupacodEira viro

TWV OEiioi' ypa(j>iui' KUi twv cn^oaTokiKdv ■Kapahuatiov iv rj/ tKKXrfm^
yii'taSai tv)(^vniOu>

152

which we have learnt from the Scripture and tlic
tradition of the Apostles."

This, be it observed, is not the opinion of an indi-
vidual, however distinguished or trusted ; nor of a
national or provincial Church. It was so generally
approved, that nlietj years? later we find these
Canons quoted as generally received thu ighout the
Cliurch. And it i&' remarkable how sober is its lan-
guage Oil the subject we are discussing, and how
strongly in its canons it reprobates the erroneous
practices and opinions which prevailed more or less
at that period. It is further to be remarked, that
there were three important councils held in this
generation, tliose of Antioch, a.o. 341 ; of Sardica,
A.D. 347; and of Laodicea, a.d. 365; in which
many important and minute regulations were made
affecting both clergy and laity, and yet that not a
single canon was made in either of them upon the
subject of virgins, solitaries, or the celibacy or mar-
riage of the clergy. The first canon of that of
Laodicea enjoins a short penance on persons who
contracted a second marriage ^ and that is all that
in any way relates to the subject : so entirely were
tliose matters left to the choice of individuals and

' Kaj'. a . Yifpi tov luv Kara tov tKK\t](Tia(TTiKuv Kavora tovq

yaf-n'iaai'TaQ, oXiyov )(^p6yov TrapEXdoi'TOc, Kcti a^oXdnayTac tcuc;
£v\tuQ Kal yrjcrrdaig, Kara nvyy vwfiijv anuiicoaOai ai/rolf Djy
KOiVbJi'iav.

153

J and tlic

of an indi-
; nor of a
) generally
find these
lo'liout the

is its lan-
, and how

erroneous
I ore or less
arked, that
eld in this
of Sardica,
in which
were made
, that not a
m upon the
acy or niar-

of that of
)ersons who
t is all that
ntirely were

viduals and

:ov Kavora rove
^otf, /x»/ \adpo-
ttXatrairac toIq

the regulation of parties on the spot in eacli separate
Church!

I scarcely know in what better place than this
to introduce the compilation commonly called the
Apostolical Constitutions. They arc known to be as
ancient as this period, foi- they are quoted by Epi-
phanius', whom I shall soon have occasion to adduce;
and they cannot as a whole have existed nuich above
fifty years earlier, because they mention church-offi-
cers, such as singers and donr-keepers, which do not
appear earlier than this period -. They may there-
fore bo taken as a fairer specimen of the general
feeling of the period of the Council of Nice than the
writings of any intlividual ; and on that ground I
am sorry ti'at I c'id not bring them forward at an
earlier stage of the discussion. They are known to
have been somewhat tampered with ; but the j)as-
sages I shall adduce are too primitive in sentiment
to have been any ])art of the doubtful matter. They
speak of celibacy, as a thing, not of duty, but of
choice, depending ui)on the i)ower of the person
choosing it ; taken uj) as a vow, and not made the
subject of sj)ccial consecration ; not to be lightly
profaned ; not intended as a stigma upon marriage,
hut to obtain leisure for devotion'': and they declare
the second marriage of prol\?ssed widows to be a sin,

' In Hceres. 2i» he quotes Lib. v. c. 14, 17. of tlie Constitu-
tions ; in //. 45 a passage towards the commencement ; and in
//. 80. lib. i. c. 3.

'^ See Hingliam, HI. vi. 1. vii. 1.

' Const. A|)0st. IV. 14. Wtin Cf rTir tntpOfvluc ti'-o\,)i' ovv

1.04

not because there is any thing sinful in a second
marriage, but because the person has been guilty of
fiilsehood in breaking a promise '.

Tliey likewise assert it to be the discipline of the
church that no person in hohf orders should marry
twice or after ordination ; but they recommend j)er-
sons in the inferior orders to marry, if they feel dis-
posed to it, to avoid temptation to sin ^ Now when
we consider that persons were not ordained deacons
till about twenty-five years of age, and consequently
that all the previous period was left open for thoso
who were disposed to marry; and that those wlio
were so disposed were actually recommended so to
do, there appears but little community of sentiment

f-:j

tKu.\io^.itv' Tij C£ rail' jiovXofiucoi' i.t,ov(ri(f roiiro tVtrpETro/tEi', (oq
£i)X»'y»'' tKtlj'o fjiey ovv avrolq ■KapaivovvTtQ, /u»/ ^^po•)^(.i^)^oc n
iTrayytiXaadui.

VIII. 24. liapQivoQ ov \EipoTOvtlTai' Imrayiii' yup Kvpiov
o'uK iyofXEV. lVw^»;c yap errn to iiraOXoy, ovk etti ciujioXf] roii
ydfiov, aW iirl fy\oXf} r>/c EvacftEiac

* III. 1. Ou^ on ('surtpw yctyuw avyi'icpOt], uXX' vri ti)i' tetVD/t
iirayyEXiuv oiiK E(pvXaEs.

2. Atyti/i/fO' ^£ fJird tTrayyEXiav Trrifjaio/ior, v'u hd rijy avi-
u<pEiay, aWti Bid to \liEvdor,

" VI. 17. 'E7r('(T/v07ro»' Kui npEfrliuvEpoy Kai i^icikovdi' E'lKoiar
f.tovoydfiovc i:aOi(TTcir.Cai, i:ay i^iociy tturwi' u'l yitftEnu mii
reSj'dfff nt) e^eIi'cu ce avTohj /.ietu ■)(^EipoToyiay uydfJoiQ ovaiy 'i-i
ettX ydfxoy EpyEoQai, ij yEyuf.iy]K(i(nv l-EpaiQ avj-nrXti^EffOai, i\\\'
(ipKE'icrOui >; t)(0)T£c I'jXOoy etti Ti'iy ^EipoToyiay. 'YiDjpETur it,
Kfij \paXr(pcuv(j kui ayayytjaruc K'ca nvXwpovr, kui u'vtuui: itovu-
ydf.iovc tiyui KEXEvo/JEy' ei ci npo ydftov ilr uXFipoy iTU()EX(liofjiy,
trriTpEKoiiEy avTolg yajiE'iy, I'l ye npix^ touto TTpoaUiaiy e\ovciv,
ira fu) uf.iupT(i<T':i Ttij KOAurjEior TU)(U)oiy,

153

a sceoiKl
guilty of

ine of tlic
uld marry
mend l>ev-
!y fool (lis-
S^ow when
;d deacons
nse(iuently
for those
those who
iided so to
■ senthnent

irpiirofiet', wf

f yap Kufjtcu
rrl aa/ioXij tov

on Ti)p EUVT^i;

l) lui r»'/i' (Tvr-

ciKdi'oy tiKOjtir
I yiifunu K(()
y(ipotc ovaiy tri
TrXtKEirOdi, ('i,\\'
'Yinjnirar tf,
(ti tii/rouc liDi'n-
'jnoy 7ru()iX(.'(iJffii',

between tlie current feeling- of the age in wln'cli
tliesc sentiments were popular, and that of those
who would forbid to marry.

And whilst I am u})on this subject, I must correct
an error into which I fell on the subject of the
council of Eliberis, through trusting too nnich to
the judgment of others. I have quoted the thirty-
third canon of that council as though it rcijuircd the
clergy to abstain from the rites of marriage, whereas
it positively forbids them to cease their intercourse
with their wives'. The simjde truth is that I trusted
to the general candour of Dupin in drawing up that
part of the history, and did not get a copy of the
canon till I was going to [yress ; wh'^n I did not re-
mark that its language was directly in the teeth of
Dii pin's statement. We must therefore remember
that up to this time there was no restriction put
upon the marriage of the clergy in any part of the
Church, excepting that they were not allowed to
marry after ordination.

CHAPTER m.

From councils we return back to fathers, of whom
we have a whole host contemporaries ; Epijdianius
and Ephrem Syrus, Basil and the Gregories of Nazi-
anzuni and Nyssa, Ambrose and Jerome ; who have

' Placuit III totum pio/tiberi episcopis, &c. nb.'tlinctc sc a
conjugibiis suis ct tion generare fil'ws.

I '>

15G

'J I

-c

all expressed either their own opinions or the practice
of their several churches, or both.

Epiphanius was bishop of Salaniis in Cyprus. lie
was a person of a turl)ulent temper, and connnitted
several breaches of discipline ; but that does not do
away with the value of his testimony to facts. IJe
mentions with approbation ' the various classes of
virgins, ascetics or solitaries, married })ersons who
abstained from Intercourse, and widows : but he classes
with them " holy marriage," which he asserts to bo
in great honour, especially that which is not repeated,
and is attended with observance of the connnand-
ments. lie declares likewise ^ that the clergy were
chosen, if possible, from those who had taken the
vow of celibacy, or, if not, from the solitaries ; or
in default of any such, from those who refrained

' Adv. Iltvrcs, III. ii. 21. Kat Trpwroi' iilv Kpi]Tr\r, ku\, (In;
I'mtir, /lafl^jyc (■*' "ir;/ [the Church] // TzupdEiia, iirrKov^ln] re
Kul 0v\arro/i£r»; Trapa ttoWoIc i^ol ii'l<i^a(Tj.iii't]. ^vyiTrtrai u
TJi (ivTij nupOei'l^ »/ ixot'OTijQ, TTftfJct nXtiom rCJy /iord^omui' i^iu
l^oviii^ovffioy. Mfrrt Tavrqv iyt:^)UT£ia tVi roy nv-ui- ^nnftoi
TiQEfXi\tn>)niri), "F^TTiiTU ci yj]p<)fT\j\'t] (.itrd rdmjr 7rno<r(;^)/C (>"'
('f)(jf)d}TOv avvaT!oaTpo<l>7](:- Tauroif re tiu<: rdUtT!.!' uKuKovOor o
aefxiog ydfxoi f.y /.uydXr] rifii}, o ir /loi oyn/im fidXirrrn, um
vaptKpvXuKi'i tyrnXjjdrwi' k.t.\>

' Sr£0ai »; Ce ravTiov Trdt'Tioy y fii'iT",!), ujq tiTrtlv, kuI yein'iTpm
>/ (tyi'a (tj)W(Tui'»7, Ik fity irafjOiiioy to irXt'itTruy op/fwyutr/;' t\ it
uiiK tK irap6£y(i)y, etc fioyui^oyrtjy' ti ce {.n) iity tKayoi e'lg Intjptainr
tiTTO fioyai^uyriuy, SK iyK^HiTtvo^iyuyy tCjv iclwy yvvtiiKuiy, i]
^^jptvadyTtjy htto fWvoyu^inQ, i\f.vrepi)yai.iui' ^t ovic tt,i(Tri
(^f'Xe^TOai ty (tvrf) e'kj hpuj(Tvyt]y, kcii' re iyKpuTEvoji^roc e'iri vr/ or
c'ctt' «[»x»7t) rd^twc iiriaKOTrov Ka\ Trpetjjwreodv kuI uukoyov um
vKohaKoi'ov. Tlicre is a similar pai^sage at II. i. 3.

157

from their wives, or from widowers wlio have been
only once married. He likewise declares ' it to be
a sin for a jierson who has determined celibacy to
turn back to marriage ; and the ground he takes is
that which I have already adverted to, that St. Paul
declares that those jtrofessed widows who married
again, incurred condemnation thereby.

From J<]j)hrem Syrus, who was so determined
a solitary, that he never chose to rise above the
order of deacon, and absolutely refused to be a
bisho}), wo should naturally look for excited notions
upon the sul)ject of celibacy. Accordingly we are
not suri)rised to find him exclaim ' : " Blessed are
those who ])ractise self-ucnial ; blessed are they who
keep their baptism ]iure ; blessed arc they who for-
sake this world for the sake of Christ ; blessed are
the bodies of virgins ; blessed arc they who have
wives as though they had them not." Neither again

' II. i. ('). rin()i'2aJK"tu' Toiv'vv o'l tiyioi Otov airoaroXoi rrj
aytiji Oiov £K(>.X»;(T/y, [(jjufia^tToy eiycit to, ^ira ru o(H(toi TrapOeviai',
£(t yu^ov rpintaOdi. In support of this assertion he quotes
1 Tim. V. 11 ; and then proceeds, El Toii'vy kui /; fierd nelpay
Ki'xT^ov ^tjpevtjufru yvyi), did to rtra'j^Sat ry Otw, f7r£«ra yi'iixaaa
Kftifiu t'sti, uOtri'iaaffa D/r Trpuirrjy nintriV ttoitw ye ^ctWoj' >/ Kui
uvTi'iy iii'tv Treipag Kuofiov vnaQeiaa irapQivoQ OfjJ, yHfiiiaaaa'
TTwc ovy\ yidWov uiiTrj vTrip mpiaffov KarErrrpiiviacrE XpiaTov, Kui
T))t> HEii^ora TTiariv I'ldirrjae, Kid i^ei Kpifia wc ata^aXaffOtliru tj/c
ictac KUTO. Qeov Trpodiaecor ;

' On Sorrow for Sin, MaKapiot o'l iyKparfvo^Evoi' fxamptoi o't
-u /5((V7-trr/Ju hyvhv t^vXaini'TtQ' fiaKdoiai ol £td tuv Xpitrruv
aTruTciEdnei'OL rw K('itTf.io) tovtm' i.iuKapia rd cw^ara rwy irapOtiujy'

158

.43

is it astoiiisliiii!:^ tliat ho re«^ar(lo(l tlio ascetic virtues,
such as *' tears and lamentation, fasting and watching,
psahnody and virginity, patience and mercifuhiess,"
as the fitting qualifications for heaven '. But still
it is satisfactory to find that he does not confine
self-denial to one only ])oint. For in his treatise on
that subject, he treats of the government of the
tongue, of the hearing, of the temper, of the
thoughts, of meat and drink, and lastly of the sen-
sual desires. Nor is his language upon that subject
exactly such as wo might have expected. " Self-
denial V he says, " in regard to lust and sinful plea-
sure, is to master our thoughts, not to succumb to
the desires which chance to be awakened in us, not
to fall in with reasonings which suggest indulgence,
not to take pleasure in the imaginary committing of
abomination, not to work the will of the flesh,

' Kal v\)V TtLx^uKiCKtii: tiatXQtiv ottov ovity TrpoerrtfixpuQ ; viruv
oi'cei' f^iic inroKii/jiEyoy ; oh o'lKpvu, uli KXavOfxoy, oh yi]«TTi.iat',
(ivK uyiwrniav, oh ;^o/\jU'^^/a»', oh TnipOeyiay, o^)(^ hnofioyiiy, ovi;
i\Ei]fX()iTvyi]y. OhSiy urro rovrioy ^o) npoTtifX'^iK: iS^t, [i. e. to
heaven] ri i^rjrt'ic i tovto to i:aroiicrii()ioy 01 ii ifit Trru'f^ivijayTtij
oiKovcriy. avTt} y ftatnXiia tu)v iXttjfxoytoy trrty. avrr) Ij
thippoffuyi) Tu>y ireyHijadyTioy iari^'. uvtj] // \n(>d riur fiirnyot}-
rravTtiJv Kiu icXavcrdyrwp larl, i:ai ruiy OpT)yt](TdyTii)y tu(; iuvrtjy
ai-iapTUKj. a'urt] »'/ (lyaTravtrii; T(Ji>y aypviryovyrajy i^ai yifrrrtV'
oyrwy kariy. uutt] ij i^wt) Twy j^»/f)wv Kui opcpayuty iotiv, (Let
ol Titiydtrayrtc Kot ^it^liirayTtQ ehcppairoyTai eI<; ra't,' uiCJyuQ.

^ 'Ey/ci;rir£ta tVt kin^vniuQ kuX ti^oyrjQ Troyrjpdr, 70 Kpan'iy r»7<,
ulffOi'iatiot;, mi yuj) ffuyraraTrtTrrcu' rnlc av^iflaiyovrruiQ tiriOvfiidic,
TO fjit) KUTUTiOttrOui Tint: \oyiafio~iQ li^vrrdStiay hwoftdWovai, to
f-ii) iicurtcrOui il'(; tire St) irpdaaioy to ^Iffor, to fxS) noitty to OiXijuh

ixdyiov

ovaay'

ic virtues,

wjitcliiii<^',
ci fulness,"

But still
r)t confine
Tcatise on
nt of the
r, of the
f the sen-
lat subject
d. " Self-
sinful plea-
uccunib to

in us, not
indulgence,
iiniitting of

the flesh,

n^\pag ; ottov

oh vi]rTTtiat',

viro^urii*', ovK

J^£, [i. e. to

■IV. a'vTt] 11
Tuiv [.uraioii-
iy Tiu; lavToii'
• KlU ri](tTtv-
l>v iariv, loci

TO K{mTl'lV Tt'lr

iig iTTiiiviiUiic,
■oftciWovat, TO
tiiiv Tu OiXiiiin

1511

hut to rein in our feelings by the fear of God. For
lliu truly continent is he who has the desire of the
eternal good things, and fixing the eyes "t" his mind
upon them turns away from lust. Ho abhors fleshly
intercourse, as nothing but a shadow. He does not
rejoice in the countenance of women, nor delight in
their figures, nor yield to their graces, nor please
liimself with their sweet breath, nor is taken with
words of flattery. He does not frequent the com-
pany of women, esi)ecialiy of the ungi.arded, nor
sjiend his time in their conversation. The truly
manly and si'lf-tlenying person, who reserves himself
for that infinite bliss, keeps a check ujjou every
imagination, and masters every lust, through desire
of a better life, and fear of the life to come." This
is but a specimen of his sentiments : but, as he
writes much to ascetics, and upon subjects connected
with their mode of life, which he evidently regards
as an anticipation of heaven, we might fill pages
with similar extracts. They show at all events that

n'lQ (TUpKuc, aXX« j^aXuoiir rip ^xi/^^ rov Oeov rh iraBr], 'O yap
i\\i)Ou)<: iyh:p(iTi)i: (.KEti'Of; tarii', <> txioy iTnOvfjiini' twv aQiivhrdJV
tKiii'DV uyaOibt', Kdi irpoc aiirh uTEiii^iof T(f rw, TavTr]v uiroarpE-
<j)tr(ti T)iy iniOv^itti'. T»))' trviovaiuy jJceXviTatTai, lor ffKiay ti)^
iwirni'' npofTtjrroic: twv d)]\ei{ov ov ^dipti' aio^aaiv ov rqjTrerai"
KuWeiTiv oi) (TVfiTriirrti' in'oaiQ j/^/irrrttc ovj^^ y^uitTai' Xoyoi^
KoXuKeiug ov CEXeH^trui' fiETu OeXeiCji', mi /uiXtnrft urrEfxv(i)v, ovk
«)i"£\£X<st'' £'^ uniXluic yvyaiKuiu ovi: iy^poyi^Ei. O aXijOiiQ
ufCpE'iuQ Kui EyKjHiTtjc, Kai tauroJ^ Tr)pii)v e\q £KEh'r]v Ti]v h^fjpov
nt'UTzuvmy, tTrt Truvrof Xoyiaixov iyKpaTEVETcu, Kai Tr«ff»jc t7ri9tY""l."
KfJurtT, ETnOvjjii^i tuv i^ptirrotur, kui fof)^ tuv f-uXXoyroi; uiwj'Of.

IGU

'n •-"

li(? did not n'gani the Itodily purity as every tiling,
or oven tlio eliii'f thing.

His forty-seventh discourse to the young uHcetics
of Kgypt is interesting, from showing that they led
any thing but an idle life: for ho enumerates casually
the various om]»loyjnents in which they passed that
portion of tluur lives, which they did not give to
devotion, as making of chains and caskets, copying
manuscripts, making purses and baskets, weaving
and making up linen garments, baking, gardening,
cookery, and tlio manufacture of other articles of
utility, the use of which can now only be guessed at.
It a])pears likewise that (leac<»ns were connnonly
expect(!d to have wives and children *.

That Basil the great patron of monastic institu-
tions should be brought forward in this controversy,
can aft'ord no sur|)rise ; that his views upon some
l)oints were very harsh and severe we shall see
by and by ; but as his jiersonal history bears upon
the subject, and shows by what stei)S he was led
to take the views he did, it will be advantageous
to look into it a little. IIa|)pily mo have those
parts of it, which throw light upon the subject in
hand from his own pen, not indeed formally drawn
u]), but appearing in various [)ortions of the corres-
pondence, which he kept up with persons of emi-

' Inlcrrogaiumes et Responsioncs, iii. 210. "A^a ce Koi ul
cKtk'o) 0' kdi Trdf ti Tntrrvij vKtp tov oaou ai/roD, vnift rj/t' yvvaiKoi:
K'((( TiK^'u}^' Kill wuiciioy Kui TruiCiaKuif i}u)iTii Xoyor.

TTiwacun

Trdij, a
t'vityytX
(tiwvoi;
a7r(j(v/\((t

•ry till !!;];•,

ir jist'ctlcH
tlioy led
'H casually
isst'd that
)t give to
8, copying
wvaviiig
gardoiiiiig,
articles of
guessed at.
ooTiinionlv

tic institu-
oiitroversy,
upon soino
shall see
bears u})oii
le was led
vantageous
have those
suhject ill
lally drawn
the corres-
ns of emi-

Ajutt H Koi oi

ini

iience in tin; Christiati world, and esjiecially with
his friend (Jregory of Na/ianznni.

My first extract shall he froiM his h'tter t<» Mnsta-
thins of Sehastea, after the breach hetween them,
occasioned hy the false dealing of ICnstathius, wh(»
had joined the Arian party, ft a|)pears that he
was the son of Christian ]iarents, in comfortable
circumstances, and after a domestic education went
to finish his studies at Athens, in company with
(Jre^orv, where he sei'ins to have gained a taste for
tli(! heathen ]»hilos()|)hical writers, which he kept up
aftj r his return.

"After spending much time'," he says, "in vanity,
;iiid wasting almost all my youth in vain labour,
bestowed in persevering endeavours to acquire a
knowledge of that wisdom, which with (jiod is folly;
when at length I awoke as out of a deep sleep, [
fixed my eyes u|)on the wonderful light of the truth of
the (i!os))el, and saw clearly the inutility of the wisdom
of the rulers of this world who come to nought ; with
deep regret i\>v my wretched course of life, f desired
that a guidi' uiight be given me, to introduce mc to

' 'Kyw TToXiiv \^i('ii()r ^^^)O^T^lya\u>m^(: TJj fiiiTdWTtiri, K'at Triiffui'
rrxttoy T))t' t^avTOv rtornra h'iKJxwiaaQ n] nurutonuiiii,, »'))' ax"^
7ri)0(TCiutTi)ii^u)f Tij ui'uXiixpii tCjv naOtinuTioi' r»/c Trufxi Tuv Otuv
|lu>^)l !itt(r;/(.' (Tiifiar, iVtiO; ttute, ulffneii il viTiou l^aOtoQ ^uiiu-
(True, a?r£/j\£i/'a /iU' irpoc to (hiv[.iu(TTu>' i^juk: rfic uXz/Otmc tou
tliityytXiov, KUTt'iiiuy ee. tv ux/x/rrro)' rf/i; mxpiui: tOjv intyjUriov tou
(i'lujnii: rovTov tmv k(ir<(|>y()i)/u)(J)'' irnWd T)IV I.Kiiivin' ^lou ^w(/r
(iTTUKXuvmir, »/i;x"/";i' loOfn'ui fioi xt«,""ywy«»' tt/joi rin' t'tauyuyiii/

IGt?

an ac(jnjiintaiice vvitli the doctrines of religion. And
above all things, I was anxious to make an improve-
ment in my habits, which had been long perverted
by associating with the wicked. Wherefore having
perused the Gospel, and having read therein, that
the greatest means of perfection would be to sell
my property and impart it to the poor brethren,
and in short not to be anxious about this life, and
not to set my soul's affections upon things here ; T
was desirous of finding some brother who had chosen
that way of living, in company with whom I might
cross the deep tide of this life. And indeed I found
many about Alexandria and in the rest of Egypt,
and others in Coelosyria and TNIesopotamia, whose
temperate mode of life and hardihood under toil I
admired, whose perseverance in prayers filled me
with amazement ; and how they vanquished sleep,

TU)i' ujyf^tdrioi' rJ/G tvmfttiac. Kai npn ye ttui'tu)!' tTrt^tXtc i'/*/ fiui
itoodvjrrii' riva rov I'ldovg TroiiitravOai, vroXiiy j^porov Ik r»/c Tr^)uij
TOVQ (j)av\ov(: ()i.uXiac ciatTTfUKpii'TO^' Kai roifvy upayi'oiic ri) tvay-
yiXioy, khI tiiatrdixEvvi; IksI fX£yiaTT)y it^op^ifv £(c TiXtiiixriv t))^
huKpuait' tCov 'vTru^yJ>:'TMy .:ai T>)t' TrpA" rove iycit'ir rwy dctXfwy
Koivwyiayy Kui oXwc to (i(j)poyTitTTiO(j i\ciy tou fiiov rovrou K'ld
viro fiijcei-uat; avfnraOeiciQ Trpog -d loSe Ttjy '\pv)(^))y kinaTfn(^>tai)ai,
'/^X'V"''' ^vp'~^y Tiya Tu>y (ueX^wi' Tuvrriy tXo^ieyoy riiy <'w6y tgu
j-)i()v, lotjTE av-(^ avi.nr£()aiti}Ofiyai ruy ftaOvy tovtov jnav k\ii<!w)'«.
liiu ct) TToXXovt; jxky evpor Kctrd T))y 'AXtHayCpiiuy, ttoXXovq Ct
KUTii T))y Xonrijy A'iyvKToy, kot ettJ ri/c UaXaKrrivrjQ tTfpvvc kuI
tVl Ko(\»/c ^vpiiic KUi MtffOTToro^j/nr, wy Idavfuti^oy fiEV to irtpl
Tt)y ciaiTiiy tyKpuTtv, tOnv^ai^oy ^t to KuprepiKoy iv Trovoir'
t\;t7r\ay»/)' \Tt\ rifv iy npoatv^^iuij tvroyiiiy, ottuhj ^i viryou kUTtKpu-

7IIVI' VT
(vflt Ul' 01

oi//;/, £1

KdTUCtyi
I'lXXoTill

i^(u -i n

pifTUr TW
'1>](T0V
iflOl £(pl

fitKEy.
XiipoiiyT
'Tiortipm
oil I dv
tniyvfxii-

103

l)cinf^ bowed down by no necessity of nature, keep-
iii<»" the bent of their souls always lofty and uneu-
slavcd, in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness,
not giving way to the body, nor submitting to bestow
any thought upon it, but as though living in bodies
not their own, they showed practically how to be
sojourners here, nnd how to have their home in
heaven. Wherefore admiring and blessing the life
of these men, how they show j)ractically that they
bear about the death of Jesus in the body, I was
desirous as far as I was capable of it, to imitate them.
For this end, seeing some in my own country endea-
vouring to imitate them, I thought that I had found
a help towards my own salvation. And I made out-
ward things a declaration of things invisible : for
since our inward thoughts and feelings do not
ajipea)', I thought humility of dress a sufficient in-
dication of humilitv of mind, and the coarse cassock

virt'ov (vurt^Ht-

Touv tff' oi/rfjutac ^uffti^i/C firay^i/c t^nrciKa^TTTO^tvoi, v\pj]X6v dfi
Kdi u^ovXwTov r»jc 4"^X''- ^^ (pp('n'r]fia ^utfTui^ovTec, Iv X(//w Kai
uxpi], ey 4'^X^'- ''"' yf/'i'OD/rt, fii) iniaTpKpofitvoi TTfjoc to awfxu fxtjCe
K(iTuV.t\(i[tEyui (ivTip Trporrutu\w(Tai ni'a (ppovTiSw a\\\ wc £»'
('(Worrjiy tI} aapK^ ^luyovTEC t()7W t£ttt,uv, tI to 7r((j)0(>w£7«' Tohj wle
(v((« -i TO Tro\irEV/.ni 't\tiy iv ovpai(ii. 'I'AtTca 0(ivf.u'i(Tac, Kcit [uui;a-
pifTitr Tu)i' urt^^pwi' Tt)y ii'w»)»', oti tpyoi ^^eiKiEvnvcri Ti)y yii^pwiriy tov
'|j;(ToD £)' T(f) (Tw/mri -KipKpipoyTEc, j/uj^fYn/i' k(u avroc, i^aO' oeroy
i/^vi tipiKToy, ^»j\wr»)c fiiai rwr (ii/pw)' ttctiytay. Tovrov yovy
h'EKey, y£a(T((jti£)'oe Tiyug ini rfjc ira-piloi^ ^i/XoCr tu EKti'ywy tVt-
)(£/(joD>T«C) ii'o^ifTu Tiyit lidi'iOEUiy EvpijKEidi irpuc Tijy Ef-iavTov
moTtfpUiy. Kui inruCEi^iy tVoioi'Y*//!' rwr ucjxtiojy th (tpt'o^EiW etteI
(wr luriXu ret tV r^l KpvTCTt^) iKutJTov Ij^ioy, iiyovf.uiv avTupKif
itijyvijLUTii til fit rt/f.' TitTTtiyotpporrvytii; to TUTTityoy tov (.ycvfiaroc.

164

-< ^-J

■■•■1

5111(1 girdle became alnindaiitly sufficient to me.
And although many endeavoured to detach me from
my association with these men, I would not ^wa
May, seeing that they preferred enduring hardness
to a life of pleasure, and I was emulous of them on
account of the surpassing excellence of their insti-
tutions."

This is his general statement, made many years
afterwards: but he did not all at once join any
society of this descrijjtion, nor at first attempt to
gather a society under him. From the first, he was
no doubt deterred by that infirmity of bodily consti-
tution, of wliich he complains in after life as having
accoinpaiiied him from his earliest years down to
old age. He took what had been the original course
of Antony, the father of the Solitaries ; he with-
drew into a retired spot in Pontus, and commenced
hermit. But this was not altogether his choice.
His friend Gregory was to liave joined him, and
he had been looking out for a jilace of retirement
Avhich might suit them both. After waiting in
vain for his joining him to proceed thither, (for he
excused himself for a while on the particular ground
of the illness of his mother, and then on the gene-
ral one of duty to his parents,) he set out with-
out him, and before he was well settled, he thus ad-
dressed him. " I have hoard from my brother

Kiu i'lpKCi j-toi TCfwij 7rX?/f)0(/jo()(a)' to tvu^^v /'/.J(ino)' Kcii ii i^oJi'i). Kat
TToXXioy uTTayoi'Tiijy fit rijc T^pov uvroiic rrvvifOEUtQ, ovk »'/r£txo)U)jv,
('ipijji' uvr(iv(; rou uTuXavfTTn^iiv jtlov tov K((/jr4j»i(C0J' npoTtfiiUvTUQ' Kin
tut T(j 7ra()»;\X((y/Lt£)'«)'' r»/t noXirtiat: OiXoTvnojv ti)(()i' rrpuQ nvruvr.

105

Gregory (of Nyssa) timt you have boon for sonio
time wishing to cast in your lot with mo ; and he
adds that ^ j have even determined on it : but
partly having become slow to believe it from fre-
quent disai)])ointments, and partly being distracted
with business, I could wait no longer; for I must
set out for Pontus, where by the blessing of God, I
trust some time to rest from mv roannnos. For I
have with difficulty bid adieu to the vain hopes
which I had in you, .... and departed to seek my
sustenance in Pontus, where God has pointed me
out a place exactly suited to my turn of mind, such
as we often used, when at leisure, to amuse ourselves
in fashioning together in imagination." He then
describes ^ a very picturesque and delightful retire-
ment, at the foot of a woody hill, shut in by a moun-
tain stream, and two d ?e}) dells, abounding in flowers
and fruits and fish, free from wild beasts, excepting
such as furnished amusement and food to the sports-
man, and possessing only one access, of which he
himself had the entire command. With this pictnrc
he hoped to wile Gregory into joining him.

This letter appears to have been followed by tv.
of playful banter from Gregory, to which he replicci
in another of great interest, which I need not tran-
scribe, after the beautiful parai)hraso of it given by

' Mr. Newman has translated iJasil's own words in liis
" Churcli of the Fatliers,'" doin;; that justice to tliem which no
one, not gifted with the spirit of I'jttry, can do.

16G

rr;

-I •— «

Mr. Newman, in his "Church of the Fathers." lie
had now found by experience, that although he had
quitted the temptations of a city, he could not leave
his own heart behind him ' : " for since we carry about
us our innate passions and affections, we dwell every
where with the same commotions ; so that I have
got no benefit from this solitude :" buL still he in-
tended to stay, and struggle to attain a quiet mind.
Ho felt the disadvantages of celibacy in his own case -.
" The man Avho is not yet united in the bonds of
wedlock has his peace broken by frantic desires, and
impulses difficult to be restrained, and sometimes by
love without affection." But on the other hand
marriage has its tumultuous crowd of cares, wliicli he
enumerate3. He then speaks at some length of the
benefit he expected from solitude, as the means of

' 'Eyo

* \ ■«

byw t'£ a fiii' Ttono avruc tin rtjQ tirj^aridc rnvrijc fVKruc /cm
illiipuc ypiKpEw aln-^vroixni. Kart'XiTroi' ^iv yup roc ii> cifrrei ha-

TplftuQ, WC ^VpiiitV KUKUlV H<popp.aQf if^UlVTUf Se OVTTO) aTroXtTTEM'

})dvi'iiOt]v To yap tvoiica nuOt] tTvix-irepiipipofTtg, Trovroj^oD

IxerU Tun> ofiolwi' dnpvjitjv iafiiv' CitaTt ovciv fitya rj/c £/5/;/x/ac
nTTtjJvaiuda TavTtjc. "A [.uitoi Troult' 'icei, nal iiBev vTrijp^EV >//i7r

rwi' i)(^r(t)f tj^£(T0oi Tov Trpof (Tu)Ti]piai' KaQr)yr]aa^i\'nv,

rnvTU tariv' ii iiav^l(f tup loiii' tytii' neipaffdai Trpofft'iKei k.t.X.

* 'AWct TUP fjitv ninrui rulr reiTjUoTc tuv yuf.wv avveC^vyyiiyiir
XvffffwctKj tTridvuictL cat upfxai ^vffKaOeKTOi Kctt tpwrt'c Tipec Cuir-
tp(i}T£g inTapuaaovari' tup Ee j'/oj KUTEt\r}fXfiiPOP uftui^vyu) iTEpoi:
dupvfioi; (pp(iyTicu)p EK(E)(^Erai' ir ('nrailla zaicojp i7r1Ovf.Hu, yv-
paiKtxj (j>vXuKii, u'lKuv t/Tt/itAfta, o'iketwp irpoaTuaiui, <ii kurci tu
av/jftuXuia jiXiiSm, :i'i wpuij ruvr yEiroiui; Clm^\}1^:TlrTf^ul, a'l Iv tohj
SiKuarifploic (TV/irrXuKni, t)i<: EfiirupiuQ u k:ipcvpui, al tT/c; ytiopyUir
Siairupi'irTEic TouTdip ^e (jtvyi) fiia, o ^^lopiiTfiui: uiru tou

crs." lie

li he had

not leave

arry about

well every

at I have

still he iii-

Liict mind.

own case -.

) bonds of

lesires, and

netimes by

)ther hand

s, which he

igth of tlie

e means of

Tt]C t'VKTlX: K(U

Q It' tiarei Eia-

nru) cnroXintly
uii'ov,

Jt'lKEl K.T.X.

TtQ Tivtq Cva-
jo^vyo) iVejjoc
tmOvf^tiu, yv-
i, (ti uara rh
rfi(n, a'l ti' Tultj
I rfic yiwpyitiv
fffJLOt; uno ToiJ

167

calming his mind and preparing it for the reception
of divine truth. lie ])urposcd with his companions
(for he had already been joined by one or more) to
begin the day, and to accompany his labours, with
prayer and praise ; and expects that when the tongue,
the eye and the ear are no longer made the inlets of
dissij)ation, the mind may fell back upon itself and
ascend to the contemplation of Almighty God.
" But," he says, " the chief way of discovering duty
is the study of the insi)ired writings • for in these
are found the treasuries of practice, and the lives of
blessed men are handed down in writing, and lie
before us as living patterns of heavenly conversation
for imitation in our actions. And therefore, where-
insoever any one discovers himself deficient, by
dwelling upon it, he finds, as from a public dispensary,
the appropriate remedy for his peculiar infirmity."
This subject he carries on into instances. He then

KotTfJiov iraiToc- Kvtrfiov ce ai'a\6ipi)aig, ov tu 'i^io avTOv yeviaBai
(TbifiaTiKiog, aWrt rfjc Tpoc ro awj-ta (TVfjnraBtiug Ti}v \j^v)^^t)i' uTrojopi/-

L,<u 'Erot^ao-i'a ce (wOfj^ioc »'/ inronuOijfftc tSji' Ik rrovjjpuc'

avvrjOEiag TrjOOfvortj^ojTWV aiir»)»' hS ay j-iutwi' ..... Tlpoc <^i) Toii-o
f-iiyiOTov vijytXac VjMy »/ £()Jjf«t'ct Trapi\Erat, KarEvvul^ovau ///iiaii' rh

TruOrj K.T.X jNIty/ffrj; ^e oiuc npot; ri'if rou i:aOiiKot'Totj

£i)()£<n»' Mti >'/ [.uXetj] tCjv ()toTrviviJTii)v ■ypo^wc* ir ravraiQ yap kui
at Tuiv irpu^iiov vwoOrii^ui svpliTKorTai' teal o'l jjioi rioy fxaicnplui'
at'Spuit; aiaypaTTTOi TrapadiCofiivoi, olor eiKuPEij ruEf 'ifi^pvxoi r»7c
Kara Qeov TroAtrftar, rw (.111.111 fi an rioi' 'ipyMv irnoi^uiTat. Kal
Toifvy, TTEOi ovirep ar tKuaroc ki'^iwr 'iyjivToc tavrov aiadavriTnt,
tKEirf irpondiarpifiu))', o\()v utto tivhq koivdv larptiov ru TTp6(T<l)()pov
ivpifTKEi TO) upptoTrii^ian ([)upfiaKoi' k.t.X.

1()8

— -I

* — *

adds, that " roadiiii^ was succeeded by prayer, wliicli
found the soul in a more fresh and vip:orous state,
and affected by Divine love, and rendered the loving-
kindness of God more manifest to the soul : and
this, (he says,) is the indwelling of God, viz., the
having ITim fixed in one's-self by means of the
memory; so that He may never be driven out of our
minds by earthly thoughts or unlooked for passions,
but the lover of God, fleeing from every thing else,
may retire to IJim '." lie then shows what benefits
he expected from this calm and subdued and un-
worldly temper, in his intercourse with others ; how
it would affect his conversation, his aspect, his car-
riage, his dress. lie spoke of his temperate food,
his grace before and after meat, his light slec]), his
liappy vigils, his exclusion of evil, his working
together with God.

Basil did not remain in this retirement, although
he had companions there ; but returned into the
world and sustained the various oflices of the Church,
until at length he was made Bislioj) of Ca'sarea, in
Cappadocia. But his love for monastic institutions

1 'I

' Ei/)^ai -KiiKiv, Tw: avayiwaeiQ ^iah\(')i.ui'ui, I'sufiwripay Ti)r
\pv\t)y Kai iiKnaiorioui', rw nnoc Oeuv ttoOu) k£mi'»;^(£I'/;>', iraodXafi-
ftuvavai, Ei'X'/ *■'' '^■"^'/ '/ f-ru[>yn tf-iirowvaa rov Otov tviuiui' ti]

eyiCovfiiioy iv uvtio tI)i> Qevv. Oi'lrw yivuf-uOd riwtj Gtov, llrav
fi)) (ppofTiai yififutg to nvi't\E(: t^<: fH't'i^ric h<iKinrTt]rat, fJtr]CE to'kj
ft7r()0(7^o)c»'/r«ti,' Trui)£my u v(/i<: eKTCtfx'iTTririii' itWa ttuvtu UTrvrjivyujy
(') (j)i\aOi()r iVi Oeuy ctrct^wp;; ....

T(l aciKi
ffKl'lXu),
UKUVU) 7

]\(t\aiaT
<i riy(u:

109

underwent no clmngo, but rather increased witli ajje ;
and the severities lie first practised in his youth he
introduced with augmented rigour into the rules
which he gave to the societies he founded. His
patronage of these institutions was in after life ob-
jected against him. One of his replies we have
already given. The other we find in the letter
addressed by him to the clergy of Neo-Caisarea,
when on a visit in their neighbourhood to the place
of his former retirement '.

" I am accused because I encourage men devoted
to religion, who have bid farewell to the world and
to all worldly cares, which the Lord likens to thorns
which do not aUow the word to spring up and bring
forth fruit. Such men bear about in the body the
dying of the Lord Jesus, and taking up their cross
follow God. Now of all my life I most cherish this
my oflTence, that I have with me, and under my
direction, men who have chosen this discipline.
And now I hear that the same excellence h to be

institutions

' 'EyKaXovj^teOu hi on kuI cu'OjjwTrovf tj^nf.ni> t'iq thaefiettic
nffKjjrac, aTrorasa/xti'ouc rw Koafiu) kiu Ttumiis tcuc (nioTii^ruQ ^t£()<-
l^itair, ac «\ai'0ut(,' 7rfe(j£a(t^£i o Kvpiog, ih: nai}Tro(j)opiaf ihtXOui' tov
Xiiyov ^ii) crvyywpovcraiv. ()J roioDrot r»))' »'£i.()or»jra row ^Ir^aov ty
TO) tTw/jLiiTi ■iTtpi(j)tpovtn, Kcd upavTt(: Toy tavTujy aravpov tiroyrai rJ
Oty. 'Eyw H iraiToc ?"' rifitjadlfiyjy tov efxavToii j^lov e/ia elyai
Til uhKy'i^ara TCtiira, kcu £X^"' "''^P«t """f' if^avrip, vk ehoi Ciha-
(TKiWio, T))y l[aKi]cny ravTijy TtpoeXofxiyovc. NDr ^t ey Aiyvirro) jitv
uKovo) TutavTi)y tlyai uy^pwy dpiTifv' kiu Tdx<^ riytc kui im ri/f
ir(i\at(Tr/»'>;c rt)y Kcirii tu tvayyiXtoy TToXtTEiay KUTopOovaiy' hkovm
<f rii'(K' <>'«' tV) -»)<; fittrifv Tioy Trornftwr reXii(W(j Kul fiuKuplmK:

170

4-,

found in E^ypt ; and perhaps sonic also in Palestine
have set iij) this evangelical association ; and I hear
that there are also some of these perfect and blessed
men in Meso})otanriia. For myself, I am but a child,
in comparison with the ])erfect. And if there are
women who ii.we chosen to live according to the
Gospel, ] '^fer celibacy to marriage, who subdue

the bent v the desh, and live in a blessed mortifica-
tion, blessed are tiiey for their choice, in whatever
quarter of the world they live. But with me there
is but little of this : T am but learning the elements
and introduction to religion. If, indeed, they cause
anything unseemly in the conduct of women, I do
not undertake to excuse them : but this I protest to
you, that the very things which Satan, the father oi"
lies, has never undertaken to say, hearts void of fear
.ind mouths unbridled always utter without scruple.
But I wish you to know that I desire to have com-

lii'SpaQ, 'Ilyntlc ^£ Tiau^ec ia^ev, Trpoc y£ riiv tu>v rtXtiMv avy-
Kpimv. El ^£ Koi -"/lalKec, evayyiXii^uiQ i^jjy TrpoeXonciai, napOe-
riuv yu£i' ydfiov TTpoTi^Hxrai, SovXaytoyovaai ^e to (ppoytjua r»/i;
(TUpKoc, Kai ir TTfi'Qti l^wtrai rt^ unKapi^ojiiyu, fxaKapiai r»yc Tpo-
aipiatwr, VTTOV di> wirt rfje yfjc. Uapa ^e i)^iL\' f-UKpa ruvra,
(TTOi')(^tiovfiipioy 'in, Kal tiaayo^iivbtv irpuQ Ttjf thircfieiay. El tt
Tit'O. aKoan'iav rif (iit^ rioi' yvraiKutv iirKpipovmi', aTToXoytlffQai fitv
vntp avTwv oh Kuraciyj)^irn' iKtlvo Be. vfiip Biai.iapTopoiJ.ai, on d
fiiXP'^ '*''' " (TUTuydc o TTUTrip Tov ypiiidovQ tliTEly ov KareBiliaru,
Tdvra at oKpoJMi KapBiai Kal tu aj^aX/i'wra OTO/jLaTa del (pdtyy tTui
doeCJc. TirwiTKeii' Be i/^ctc fiovKofiai oti tifit'lg iv»j(o/t£0a Kal dyBpuiy
fcdt ywi'fiiKtij)' avuTii^aTU tx^ir, w»' to iroXhiv^d iariy tv ovpayolc^
T(Sv Tt)y (T('ipKa nrftvpiOfrdyrMy avv toIq 7raO///Lto(Tt Kai 70(c iniOv-

panies

heavei

lusts, '

uj)on

to pra

not of

who c

they m

then d

fore dn

dividing

alternat

Scriptu

single J

finally a

each m

case: ai

Lybia,

PhoenicI

wherev«

psalmoc]

This
to consi
whom
the asce

Ulaic/ oil
oiraroL oyf
rnlg Bo'itrl
^dWovaif
\fp<Tly, hi

171

])anics of men and w men whose conversation is in
heaven, who cncify the flesh with the affections and
hists, who caro' noh for food and clothing, but waiting
iij)on the Lord without distraction, give themselves
to prayer night and day ; whose mouths discourse
not of the deeds of men, but sing hymns to our God ;
who continually labour with their own hands, that
they may have to give to him that needeth." Ho
then describes their mode of worship at matins, be-
fore day-break ; how they began with prayer ; then
dividing into two companies chanted the psalms
alternately; next attended to the reading of the
Scriptures; afterwards had an anthem sung by a
single person, the rest joining in the cliorus ; and
finally at day-break united in the fifty-first Psalm,
each person making the words ap})ly to his own
case : and he affirms that this custom prevailed in
Lybia, in the Thebais, in Palestine, in Arabia, in
Phoenicia, in Syria, on the Euphrates, and indeed
wherever watching and prayer and congregational
psalmody was practised.

This then was the Basil whose opinions we have
to consider ; these were the regulars, mostly laymen,
whom he patronized : and these were his views of
the ascetic life, and of monasteries properly so called.

fiiaii;' oi ov nepifii'iofTi rrepl jipojfidrtt))' Kal iv^Vfidriur, d\K' direpl-
(TiraToi ovrtg Kot ivrrdpet^poi r^) livpl^, yvKroijKai ijf^UnaQ wpnaiifvovai.
ra'iQ ^Ei'iaeaiv' dv to erro/ia ov \o\eT ra' ipya rwv di'Opu'irtoy, dWh
\l^n\\ovatp vfii'ov rif QtiJ {jfiUf' Sii]i'tKU)Q epyn^OfiEroi rale £avr<oi>
\Fp(Tii; 'I'ya i\toaiy fura^i^oiai role •)(p(iai' 'E\nv(Ti.

17'J

t >-*

I ►-a

4,
-4-

As lie found tlioni, not bound by any vo\v of colibacv,
and free to quit the society Avhencver they chose ; ji
society in Avhich they niinht learn subordination and
self-discipline, nii«^ht accustom themselves to <levo-
tion and self-denial, mi<rht learn to study the Scrijt-
tures, and not to )e ashamed of j)ovcrty ; 1 cannot but
look upon them as an instrument raised up by (Jod
to countenict the worldliness and luxury Avhich were
beginning to overflow the Church, and to prepare a
set of men for holy offices Avho should be found
willing to abide by the Scriptural truth which had
hitherto been handed down in the Church, and able
from their renunciation of worldly comforts to cope
with that infinitely varied sea of persecution, u])on
which the orthodox for many years were tossed.
But although 1 think we must admit that they thus
rendered excellent service to the Church, I am
equally convinced that the strictness of the rule
which Basil introduced, and which his great reputa-
tion made permanent, contributed to their corruption
and weakness. lie has been suj)po8ed, indeed, to
have laid it down throughout his archdiocese, that
the marriages of clergymen, monks and virgins were
to be regarded as fornication, and to be nullified ; but
this is not the fact. He simply ordained that if
such persons were guilty of fornication, every effort
should be made to prevent them from marryiiin'
those with whom they had offended '. What the i)re-

' Kill'. <r', 'Viol' KaroyiKwy rat irvpreiui; ttc yi'i^of fii) t^uruXoyi-
i^errOni, uWii truvri rpinru) <:uianif.i> u'vtwv T>)y (Tvi'it(j)tniy. 'I'outh

I7:i

ciso motive lor this rtyilation was \v(> arc not iii-
tbnnod, tiirtlii'r tlian that it was to avoid i\\v sneers
of the horetit's against the laxity of discipline in the
(yhurch. It was, liowever, evidently nothing more
than a rule of discipline, to meet a peculiar irrogu-
iaritv. Hut still we niav think that such a rule was
an evil ; and though the ill eflects of it might not bo
immediately visible, time was sure to bring them out.
lint still this was only /us rule, it was not as yet that
of the universal Church. lie likewise introduced
the custom of binding monks by an ex])licit vow,
which had not prevailed previously'. So that com-
pulsory celil)a('y made great strides wherever he had
influence. This was not, however, forbidding to
marry in general : he ex})rcssly recognizes the right
of a widow who had taken no vow to marry again.
I fe only reasoned from St. Paul's language in regard
to the Church widows, that when a vow was once
made to God, the infraction of it was to be restrained
by the Church ; and admitting the propriety of

yn(> Kill rij tVkXrjffi^ npixj ua(pA\tiaf XvaiTtXec, Ktu to'ii; aipETiKoli:
lib tw(T£( KuO' lii-tioy \uft>)y, d*c tt« ti)i' tov njjiniTui'tiy iictiuv iiri-
mrM^irwv ttjioc tavruvQ.

' Kai'. tt/. 'Ai'^fjwj' ^£ i^oXoyUn' uvk 'iyvu^tv, Tr\t)i' £i fiti riftr
iiiVToiic T^> Tciyfiari Tuiy fiovaiivyTU)v lyKaTij^idfiijerav, o'l karri to
(JuoTTijfiei'oy ^oKovat 7rapa^£X£(T0ai Tt)v ayn^iui'. YlXtif «ti iw'
Utiviiiv ht'ii'O iiyovfxai TrpotiytitrOai TrpoffZ/zctO', tpioTdaOai avroug
k(u Xfi^j/vui'iffOai Ti)y nup nvriuu o^oXoyiay eyufiyfi, {oart. ittticiiv
litTaridEVTui npoc to (piXoanpKoi' xai ijcopikou ftiov, vivuytiv nvTOvv
rw roil' TToin'tvoi'TWV tTriTifiiif)-

174

•^1

making the vow publicly, tlic conclusion can Hcarcoly
bo contravened.

Besides these indications of St. Basil's opinion, it
is but natural to have recourse to his treatise on
virginity, which wo should of course do without
hesitation, (as it is well-known that ho wrote such a
treatise, and this which we have agrees in all main
points with the description of it given by St. Gregory,
of Nazianzuni,) were it not for passages ' in it which
appear to speak of matrimonial intercourse as a sort
of pollution. Now it is well-known that this opinion
was condemned in the Eustathians by the Synod of
Gangra; and that Basil was very much opposed to
this sect : so that it is im])robable that he would
have held opinions in connnon with them. Still
there is nothing impossible in his having in this point
differed from the Church of his day, and symbolized
with the adverse i>arty ; as we know that he had
adopted a rule of ascetic discipline from them, and
that he patronized the monks, although accused of
favouring the Arian heresy. Or if this be not thought
likely, he may have used the term <i>Oopa in a modi-
fied sense, as implying not absolute but relative im-

' 'O tSjv ffwuuTwi' viifiipiog rifv iKpOupo}' TrapOtroy rij rv^i<ptv(Tti
^Otipiov yvfalKn Trotel.

"Ap')(i)yuc Tf. Kui ap\ioy rfJQ caret T))f yafitTi'iv ^9o()ac o avijp.

It likewise asserts that Jesus did not marry because it was
necessary that he should be free from (j)0()p(^ aw/iaTog cul tov yu-
f.iov, and declares that but for the fall the human race would have
been produced in some other way.

' Ah

,11 Hcarct'ly

opinion, it

rcutiso oil

o without

)te such a

all main

t. Gregory,

n it which

se as a sort

his opinion

ic Synod of

opposed to

; he woukl

hem. Still

n this point

symbolized

hat he had

n them, and

accused of

not thouglit

a in a modi-

relative im-

ly TJj rvfi<pevtTti

«. r I

because it was
troc cid Toil yu-
ace would have

I7r>

purity; because carnal intercourse is the necessary
cliannel by which original sin is j)r<)))ugate(l ; and
therefore, although not sinful in itself, cannot be dis-
connected from pollution, in a more especial sense
than other human actions. There is, moreover, a
strict resemblance between the language he holds in
his canons, on the subject of the marriage of pro-
fessed virgins, and that which is used in this treatise:
so that there appears considerable ground for think-
ing that the greater portion of it was written by him :
and as the more extravaiiant laiiffuaije all occurs in
the latter part, it may be supposed not to have been
a part of the original treatise. Taking this, there-
fore, for granted, there are some j)arts of this treatise
which are especially worthy of attention.

For instance, he takes es])ecial care to say that
when he magnifies and exalts virginity, he does not
mean merely strict bodily purity, which, bo it as
strict as it may, he regards as merely the hanchnaid
of the true divine virginity of the soul. The passage
is so indicative of his sentiments that I will tran-
scribe it '.

" Beyond doubt virginity is a great thing, render-
ing man (to say all in one word) like to the incor-
ruptible (jod. But it does not pass from the body
to the soul, bu being especially the property of the

' Mf'yct fitf yap, wt ''t\>;6wc, irafiOEVta, rw u<pOapro) Oeif), wc tv
i>i^jU/\<«/y tiTTtiv, i^ofiowiiiTu Tvy upOptoTTOv. OvK airo ffwf^uircjy ^t
lifHt ETTi ^^v^iuj avrr] lihvtt, aWa »/'i'X»7c '"'/C OTw/iarou ovaa f'^n/pc-
'(><:, Tt] TUVT)\<: OtoipiXtl napdii'itf ciijidofm (jwKuTTet rii (TuifiUTU,

17()

i'4

'■<:.
i'^..
•^

!!!yul when separate from the body, it i)reserves the
body incorrupt by its own divinely loved virginity.
For the soul, having the conception of that which is
really excellent, aiming only to serve the incorrupti-
ble God as he ought to be served, makes use of the
bodily virginity as a handmaid, to attend upon that
which is excellent in itself. And since it is desirous
of always having its undistracted aid in the contem-
plation of God, it repels from it as far as possible
the pleasures of the body which keep up a tumult
within it, using self-denial in carnal pleasures as a
handmaid to bodily virginity, and that again to abso-
lute virginity ; so that by preserving its virginity free
from the taint of every disturbing thought, it may
attain an established resemblance to the incorrujitible
God, whilst he sheds the bright beams of his graces
upon it, as from a spotless mirror, to its own advance-
ment and praise."

It will be seen fiom this extract, that ascetic

Tou yap oiTWc k«XoD »'/ \pv)(^t) (pai'TatrUtP Xaj^ovtra roi'

HipdupToy Qtuy dei)ainve(rdai ^ovwg Trpoc «^/«i' udpovtra, rijf tov
awfiamc Trapdeviay OEpuiraivai' tig Ti)y tov khO' tavTijy Ki'iWovi
depmrdav enayiTai. Kat Trupe^pov aoj(\»/rwc Tpoc T))y tov Otov
(JEwplav Tavrj]v tx*"' "^' fiovXo^ivr}, raq ivoyXovaag uvrij tov
orwyiKirot,' »/^o»'ac wf iroppuiTUTio iXuvyii, T))t' fxey TQy iitto yatTTipa
ilcovHtv lyKpuTEiai' ti)q rTU)fiaTiKi]Q TrapdEviuQ depHiraii'ui', u'vt))i' ct

TuvTrji' Tijg KCtQ' EavTt)i' TCoiovfXEVi] na Ti)y LuvTiji' irup-

dsriay litjjOopoy hiraaric juo^^^Oripug tyroiuQ (pvXti^ufra, Tt)v npog Toy
n(j)OapToy Qeoy E^oiJoUoariy, uiawEp iy aKr]XiOijjT(u KUTowTpip Xotiroy,
iivTvv tik: nitp" fUVTov avTJi Ey<ivyu^oyro<: ^apirur, tlij miAAoc
lavTfii Kill iTn^iyoy KUTdpOioOt'iauv Ktph'ifTti.

J77

erves tin;

virffiuitv.
I wliicli is
[icorrupti-
se of tlio
upon that
s desirous
e contem-
,s possible
) a tumult
mres as a
a to abso-
ginity free
lit, it inav
30iTU])tible
his graces
n advancc-

lat ascetic

Tity

VT^iv khWoxx.

TtH' TOV iJtOV
Trtt' "t""^ TOO

viru yaari^ia
ray, uvt))i' tt
V tuvTijt; 7r(«()-

, T))l' TrfWC TOV
OUT pat XoiTTOI',
r, tUj KuWoc

liabits had led St. Basil to the same view of tlie
depths of religion which St. Paul hiid, when he
penned these words: (2 Cor. iii. 18,) "But we all,
with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of
the Lord, are changed into the same image from
glory to glory." It is very true that he took a
mystical view of religion. He did look to the con-
templation of the Divine Being, as a means of being
brouijht to a resemblance of Him : and for that
|)urpose thought it expedient that the soul should
have as few impediments as possible to this habitual
contemplation. Now earthly pleasure of every sort,
he regarded as having the effect of binding us to
earth, and therefore avoided it, not in the light so
much of a thing which polluted, as of one which
dlsturhcd the mind. AVlien the soul therefore could
habitually turn to the contemplation of God, he re-
garded it as having attained to absolute virginity,
to perfect union with God. The language to us
seems strange, as the whole maclr'nery of the book
of Canticles does, but it was not necessarily incor-
rect. The bodily virginity was therefore not sought
for its own sake, but because without it, the mind
could not expect to be able to wait upon the Lord
without distraction. The misfortune was that many
persons, mistaking their vocation, would have so
sharp a contest with the Hesh, that the j)reliminary
step of weaning themselves from animal pleasures,
would take uj> all their efforts; and their view
would thus become limited to the cor|)oreal celibacy.

178

1-3

(.4,

and that which was only intended to be a means to
an end would become their end. Or again, the self-
denial they had to practise to conquer the animal
desires would so weaken all their powers, that they
would be unequal to those devotional exercises,
which were to be their highest and most chosen
employment: and the mind thus weakened, would
be open to Satan's assaults, and become liable to
be a prey to spiritual vices. These dangers Basil
saw : but he was not willing to allow any relaxation
of the resolution. To turn back was with him a
sjjiritual adultery : weakness was sin. At least that
was his view at that period of his life, when his
Canons were drawn up. But there is a passage in
his treatise on virginity, in which he appears to
recommend marriage to those who did not choose
celibacy for religious ends. His w< i'.^ are : — ' " If
whilst she rejects the yoke of a husband, she is to
be useless for the life for which she was created,
for the government of the house and the production of
offspring, and likewise a discredit to the virgin state
which she has vowed, it is all loss, whilst she cor-

' Ei fjiiXXoi, rov irpoQ di'^pa i^vyuy a7rof)j')l\pa(Tu, a)(pi]aTO(; Ka'i
Tifi ftiip vrpoc ()V fit" o'lKovfuai' Kai TtKvoyoviav lir\uai)t], koI rij
tTrayytWnnevri trapQtviq. trrlxLoyoc yiveffdui, to liXov ^»;/(('a, kcu
T))i' i//U)(»/»' cnrcu^EVTOig iyi>oiaiQ Kal to aiufia aitToiQ aKi^iTiifxaai
(pOeiiiovuct, IloWaJi ai()eTtjJTef)Oi' ui'C^u avi'aipdeTaay tovtij) ^(wg roy
ftioy iiri.o\i'i(7tiai' to Tf ■)(^i)eiwhc t'f lioiideiiiy Kara Toy oJKoy cijitoi-
/3//»' rJ/f 7rf)«(77a<Tiac u'utm u^reKTirjCiru)', kuI yr)poK6fiuvt; iriucag tif
rtoni^t))' Tou yt'if^uf uyidhvr TTupiaTufray' ^ai tyl yoiiy fit^)ti nilv
lou aySfWi; ^>;\oru7ri'atc, wc oioy Tt, t^ Giji jrupdtytvuvauy.

ought

tllC

179

rupts her soul with uulridled thoughts, and her body
with unrestrained wantonings. Much more prefer-
able would it be to be united to a husband and to
have him to guide her conduct, and both to re-
compense him for his oversight of her, by making
lierself a useful aid in his house, and bring up his
children, so that they may take care of him in his
age and keep up his family; and so through her
husband's jealous care in one way at least be a
virgin to God."

Now all this is so strangely different in sentiment
from what we have seen in other passages, that it
is very difficult to reconcile them : so that as I have
hinted, many persons have been led to think that
the more extreme vieMS were introduced into the
treatise by copyists. The very circumstance of
speaking of the employments of a married woman
with respect, and as a divine appointment, and the
very end of creation, and of purity in that state, as
being one method of consecration to God, is so con-
tradictory to the idea of matrimonial intercourse
being a pollution : a.d especially the recommending
a jirofesscd virgin to marry, is so contrary to the
energetic remonstrances made against such a step
in other parts of the treatise, that it is inconceivable
that the same feelings should have existed in the
same mind at the same time.

When he conies to speak of marriage again, as it
ought to be entered upon, in .sup|)ort of his idea that
the marriage of a professe«l virgin who has fallen

180

r-T,

■•i

< ■■<

into sill, is nothing' better than licensed impurity,
he expresses in substance the feeling of every Chris-
tian mind u])on the subject. " For this is lawful '
and scriptural matrimony, not when pleasure has
been indulged in before the law has been complied
with, but when due consideration, having for its aim
the aid each party is to render to the other, and the
Iceejiing up of the family, brings about an union
really honourable ; when the relatives pre-arrange
the marriage upon due consideration, and the holy
foundation has been laid in the Lord according to
the laws, and lawful indulgence is found to follow
as a necessary consequence of marriage, making of
twain one flesh." Making allowance for dilferenco
of usages, and for the circumstance that women in
those days did not mix in promiscuous society, and
that young persons had no recognized way of form-
ing matrimonial connexions, except through their
relatives, there is nothinp: iu this passage to object
to ; on the contrary it shcivi •. ;■ pure and refined view
of marriage. But it is very clear that love in the
Christian sense before marriage, was almost totally

' Tore yap vu^ijioq Koi Kara tcIq Oeiac ypa0ac (Twiararui yd-
fiotj, i')Tuv fiii TTuOog //coj'j/t' TrpokoraXa'/^jj roii t'Ofiov ti)p ■)(^piiai; Xo-
•ytffjuor Tov TE e\(^ /v(j//(J£i i»' avayKaUtv (cat r»;(; tHjv naictjy ciuCoj^ijij
Tov yaj-iov npoirOHQ tup (tkottuv, rlfiiot' optm^ fxvr]aTtvti. riv ydfjiov'
(jTt Tuii' uvayKaiojp tov yafxuv 7rp()£i\i](j)UTti)y tm Xoyiff/iJ, ku\ *>'/)»/-
rTt'of ayiac tr Kvpiu) icard I'ofxovi; TtOeicriic, iTTUKoXovOtifia tov
Ktird Tuv yufiuy ui'dyKaiav li f\ r»/': /.a'i;f.wr iicufi), fduv mtpKU rovr
I vv TToiuvaa f'uplctTUi,

XoTfpOlt
KllWii,

■t-^v

181

in purity,
ry Chris-
lawful •
sure has
complied
)r its aim
', and the
an union
e-arrange
the holy
lording to
to follow
[nakhig of
dilfereUL'tj
women in

)cietv, aii<l
y of form-
)ugh their
3 to object
lined view
)vc in the
ost totally

ut'iararai ya-
fi' ■^piiav, Xo-

u 701' yajJiuV
(TflU), Kul (>■/)»/-
l\()v()t)fltl Till)

uv (T«(p»>.<t ruvr

iinknoM'ii, and that if the i«leas of Basil were above
those of Christians at large, it was because the Gos-
pel had to contend with tlie degraded ideas of the
married state genei-ated by heathenism, just as in
the time of St. Paul himself. It is perfectly clear
that Basil's views were precisely those of the patri-
archs of the Old Testament : and, polygamists though
they were, it is by no means certain, that marriage
amongst us has become purer by recognizing the
passion commonly called love, as the ordinary pre-
])aration to it; a passion in most persons totally
distinct from true affection, and the more intensely
it is felt, the less likely to terminate in real love.

But let us turn from the recluse Ephrem and
Basil, the great promoters of monachism, to the
married Gregory of Nazianzum, the personal friend
of Basil, but a man who was more capable of feeling
the strength of domestic ties, llis father had been
converted at mature age through the instrumentality
of his wife, and he had reason therefore to speak
well of marriage : he accordingly thus exi)resses his
feelings ' : " Marriage is honourable ; but I cannot
say that it is higher than virginity. For virginity
would Jiot be a great thing, if it Mere not metre
honourable than that which is itself honourable

' Orat, iii. KciXor u yu^og. 'AW ovk 'iym Xiyiiv on wtt I'l,'/*;-
XiiTfpov TTttpOtfiac' ovSe yap ay »))' ri f-ityn »/ -KupOtiiu, /.n) kuXou

K(t\\iui> Tvy)^uiov(Ta Il/\))i' uAXZ/Aatr (Tvv^t(Ti.ie~i(TO£ k(u

TTttpOtioi Kfii yv)(UKn:, K(u tr Itrri If Ki/p/w KUi aXAZ/Awi' KtiWio-
Tria/in, (>ii*> (I)' »)i' uyiifiov, ti /(// yc'i/tor.

182

But, yc virgins aiitl wives, be united to cacli other,
jind be one in the Lord, and an ornament to each
other. For there could not be the unmarried, if
there were no marriage." This shows a different
estimate of things from what we have seen in many
oiliers. He even implies that there were those who
doubted whether marriage were not the highest
Stat?: but he shows that his own feeling was that
each was good in its way, and both acceptable to
God. Thus again in his thirty-second Oration ', he
classes together as equally pure, a chaste married
woman and a consecrated virgin. Again in another
discourse, arguing with some one who was disposed
to baptism, but from some misunderstanding of the
Christian vow of renouncing tlie flesh, dreaded to
take it uj>on him, lest he slu^nld wish to marry after-
wards, ho assures him' that ho need have no mis-
givings oil that hcore, for that marriage was pure,
else Chiist would not have wrought a miracle at u
wedding, and honoured it with his presence. This
no doubt indicates the presence of much false feeling
on the subject; but it is likewise, we may safely

' § 43 TvvaiKwt' otTov viru l^vyttv Oejj jjuWop f/ anfiKi (tv)ce-
ie/nvoi', tJ/T v ct^uyoi' Kot iXevdtpor Qtu tu irur t^aOufno^iyoi'.

* Urat. Xi, O'vTTW (rupKi ffvr£^e»'\W»jr ; /u) (puihjOfn; Tijv rtXti-
vtmi', haOi'i'.'oc £t '''"' fit~ii tvv ynfj.ov. 'F.f^wr !> Kiicvrov' tyui
TiivTfv avra^ij-ioff-i'ii:' iyw rviJi(l)0(T-ti\ur. Oh yiip iirti »'/ iraoOtria
Tifxiwrlpa, Iv Tolc urifxinQ i ya^or. Mii.tlitToi.iai XfHirrui', ror
tcaOo^Hiv I'vfiipayioyoi' Kdl iv^tjHoy, of Kal ()(iv^aTvv()yt'i yufHf (>ai
rt/i^ avi^vyiay rtj Trufwvai^,

18:3

eonclmle, a proof that all were not led away ('qually,
and that, in the East at least, the tide was l)c<>in-
ing to turn. The same spirit is shoMii again in his
193rd Epistle, to his intended son-in-law Diodes, at
whose marriage he jmrposed to be present ; and in liis
56th Ode, which is addressed to a young married lady
on her conduct in that condition. His friend Basil
would not have married himself, nor would he hav(»
willingly sanctioned the marriage of a daughter, if we
may judge from the general tenor of his writings.

But one of the most beautiful of the compositions
of Gregory of Nazianzum, is his Eulogium on his
sister Gorgonia. She was married, and he thus
describes her excellence in that state ' : " She so
much excelled in modesty, and so much surjiassed all
those about her who had the highest character for
modesty, that she avoided the disadvantages to which
the two conditions are liable, between which the
life of all is distributed, I mean marriage and celibacy,
and chose out and brought into one the excellencies
of both : and since the one is loftier and more divine,
but at the same time more difficult and perilous, and
the other more humble and safer, she adopted the

' Oral, xi. }ib)(j)poaui't] ^ir ye roaovror CD'tnyKey, koi TOffovrov
vireprjpE}' rac kut avriji' airuffaQ, (Zv 6 ttoXvq tnl (Twcjipoauv)} Xoyoc,
ware eic dvo raiira Ci7]pi]fiit'OV Trtiffi rov ftiov, yri/ior Xiyto kuI uya-
l^iuv, Kni rj/c A'**' ovarrft: 'v\pi]><)TipaQ te kuI Oeiurina^, tniTrovEa-i-
finc (E Ktu fT<pa\ef>ioTfpui:, rov Ce TcnrEirioTEpov te k(u a(T0a\£OT£()«u,
(t/((y)orq)wi' (jivyoiKTU tu utiCr.c, Imov KdWidTui' EfTTii' ir dfultoTtpou:
kXEkatrOai, KUt eif tr uyayElv, Ti'ii; /itV ro viPotj, tuv tt -//c (t(T(/j(t-

184

• >-j

loftiness of tlio one and the senn'ity of tlie otlier,
and become modest withont ])ride, minglin^^ with
marriaixe the honour of celibacy: and showin": that
neither of these so absolutely binds either to Cod
or to the Morld, or on the other liand se])arates from
them, as that the one is in its own nature to be
avoided by every one, and the other to be mag-
nified in the abstract ; but that it is reason which
rightly presides over both w'edlock and virginity, and
that they, like some material, are arranged and
fashioned to excellence by the artist reason. For
it did not follow that because she was united to the
flesh, therefore slie was se])arated from the spirit;
or because she had a husband for her head, therefore
she knew not the first Head : but having for a while
sacrificed to the world and to nature, and to such an
extent as the law of the flesh recpiired, or rather
he who gave laws to the flesh, she consecrated her-
self entirely to God. And, what is most honourable

Xeiav, Kat yeyiaOai (Tw^pwr drvcjwc, rw ynf'M tTjij uyceyuatc ^viXoi'
KEtnitTdtra' Kui ciii,aa(t I'lri /<//0' f.Tipov tovtlov i) Oeoi TraiTwij '/
Ki'ifTfiu) rrvictl Kid cdtTTijm TruXif, wote tirui tu ^tv narrX (j>tvi:Toi'
i^(iT(i rill' Iciity (jiiifTir, to a rtXtior ETraivtTui' uWa ivvc litiv (>
k<(i ydfio) Ktn irutjOtiii^t K'aXair iniaraTLor, kih u)<jtti[) i)\»; tic rav-a
TO) Tf^iiTt] Xdyw iJutij-tii^eTai kuI cti^iKivpyuTut npuc afttTtiy, i)h
yiip tTTEi rrapKi (Tvyi]<^i)i]i Cih tovto ij^uipirrOti Toii Ili'tii/tfirot" oi/fV '/Tt
Kt(l>a\>it' t(T)^£ Toy iiycpa, cia tovto T))yTTnioriiy ue(l>u\i)y tiyvoijm' aW
oXiyu XiiTovnyiiffUfTd /v'oiryuw Kui (jivrni, Kui oeroy o Tiji: (TC((it.'ot,' tjwu-
Xeto yofxoc, {fiuXXoy ce o Ttj aupKi tuvt(i yojioOirliiruc,) Ofw to ~uy
luvTiiy KfiOiinoxTty, '() ct KuXXicrroy k(u GifyiWuToy, oti kcu ~uy
uyCfiu Traoi; tavTijij inoit'itTdTd, k'a'i oh (KTiTi'iT)iy (ironoy, (iW o/irIr«t/-
Xoy dyttOiiy TrpoaeKTi'inuTu' ov funoi ce, liXXn kiu tov (tohiuhi.

18.>

lie other,
Unjj witli
wing tliiit
ir to (jiod
rates from
lire to bo
be mag-
son whicli
r>initv, and
no'od and
ison. For
ted to the
the spirit;
, therefore
tor a while
to such an
, or rather
crated lier-
lionourabh'

)(M iruvrux: h

n-ttlTl tj>lVKTOf
I yOVC LTTll' (I

vXi] rir Tuv-d

• »/y>'(Wjff£' <i/\X

i: fTuiii'ioi: ii">u-

,) OfW TO ~U)'

<)■, oVt K'ui roi'
', tiW 'ojiiicuii-
1 roTi rT(iMH( ;('<.'

and creditable, she also bronght her hnsband to feel
with her, and found him consequently, not an arbi-
trary master, but a good fellow-servant. Not only
this, but she also made f^e fruit of her body, her
children and her children's children, the fruit of the
Spirit; consecrating to God her whole family and
all I»cr substance, in return for [her own] one soul,
and rendering also wedlock a subject of praise
through her admirable conduct in it, and the good
fruit she produced from it."

IIow much does this panegyric speak ! Does it
not show clearly that one of the great reasons why
marriage was not looked on as it ought to be, was
that in fact there were so few instances in which it
wao made to adorn the profession of the Gos])ei :
that the state was not generally redeemed from the
grossness into which pagajiism had ])lunged it ? But
when we see the Gospel raise and sanctify that
state, the natural consequence is that it obtains its
])roj)er honour. At the same time we may observe in
this Father, fully as much as in the greatest ascetic,
that a wrong estimate of the excellence of virginity
was ])revalent ; for if it had been restricted to its
proper use, it could not have been regarded as more
|)erilous than matrimony. It is only when })crsons
continue in it, who have no natural or acquired fitress

aioTTO)', ri'i riKia \iyio kuX TtKiu TtKiiov, Ka[f!Tui' tou nyevfiarot:
fiTiiii'i(TU-o' yti'Of oXoy kch o'tKhtt' o\t)f diri piuf \/'i'X'/'-' ^^V '>'"y-
(lyrlrrarTd, kui nuiliirumt Kui ya'/ito)' iiraiiiTOV cin rz/f tV yufHf) thupe-
(jrliatitx KUi T'li: KiiXiir hrfvOn' i;a()7r(j(j>iifuui;.

18()

{'or it, that danger attaches to it. But on the other
hand again, it was no doubt the prevalent h>vv con-
dition of marriage, tlie circumstance that in very few
cases was there any idea of love iv the Christian sensr
before marriage, and that ahnost every man was sen-
sible that in marrying he had but legalised a jiassioii
which he felt not to have been ])ure, that drove so
many into celibacy as the only means of escaping
im])urity. The admiration of celibacy, was therefore
the fruit, rather than the cause of the low state of
morals. And that is why we find that admiration
so much more strongly felt by the heathen than by
Christians, by the later Church than by the earlier.
When the Church was persecuted, Chrii^tian families,
no doubt, were more distinct from the heathen, and
consequently the domestic relations were less liabli'
to become tainted by intercourse' with tainted minds.
But when the barrier was removed by prosj)erity,
then intercourse became more unrestrained; and as a
natural consequence, the high tone of feeling in the
Church at large began to wear away. There became
no doubt more professed Christians, and in all pro-
bability the number of Cliristians indeed became
enlarged : but the standard of feeling amongst the
mass would become lower and lower ; the domestic
relations would assimilate more to those of the
heathen ; and as marriage became a polluted thing,
so in the Church the admiration of celibacy would
rise. And this accounts for the later fathers
insisting so much on the honour of marriage.

187

whilst at the same time thoy ajJjK'ar to cast an
indirect slur upon it. The Scripture rcf/idrcd thcni
to acknowledge that it was honourable, and the
v^xperience of too many persons told them that fhn/
at least had not made it pure.

But in this age, viz. the post-Niccne, the tide,
as I have said, in the east at least, appears to have
taken a turn. So Amphilochius, the friend of the
Gregory from whom I have just quoted, has languanfo
in direct jmiise of marriage, although he himself
a])pears for a considerable period to have led a soli-
tary life. So in his third discourse he speaks
thus ; ' " Now honourable marriage excels every
earthly gift; as a fruitful tree; as a jtleasant plant;
as the root of virginity; as the cultivator of intolii-
gent and living brunches ; us the blessing of the
increase of the world ; as the encourager of the
sj)ecies ; as the fashioner of mankind ; as the painter
of the divine image ; as having obtained the Lord's
blessing; as having been privileged to sustain the
whole world ; as being intimately connected with
him who humbled himself to become man ; as being
able to say boldly, behold me, and the children

' Oral. iii. 'O ce Tifxioc; yci/xoe virepKe'iTai ttu>'tuq cu)pov yifivov'
loQ iyKup-Kov ^iy^pof' wg aart'iov (pvruy uic pi'^a rijc irapOtyiaij' wg
yewpyoc twv XoyiKwy kch ej.ixpv^ioi' icXaCioV wf evXoyia ri/G roi)
Koufiov av;//(T£ti»c" wc iraptiyopoQ rov yivovQ' wc ^rjfxwvpyoi: tTic
u»'0pw7ror»jrjc' wc Ti)Q de'iKtjQ ihutog i^ioypuipog' wc Toy ^tair6Ti]y
tvXoyovvra i;iKri)^Eiog' wg miyra tuv Kuerfioy tpeptiu ^f^OjUErac"
wg iKdv<^ TroXiTtvof-uyog, oy Kai eyaydpwwiimu icvaMirrjaty' tjg
Cvidfjteyog Xtytir /tero nappijffiag, "Icov eyw kui ret waicla a fxoi

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

is.

y
^

1.0

I.I

1.25

[frilM IIM

>- Ih IIIII2 2

t 1^ IIM

11=

U III 1.6

PhotDgraphic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, NY. 14580

(716) 872-4 W3

? is,

<=>,

<° W^.x.

&
^

|l^

188

■4

»3

-•1

whom God I<ath given me. Take aAvay honourable
marriag(% and where will you find the flower of
virginity ? for thence and no where else is the flower
of virginity gathered. And in saying these things,
beloved, we are not bringing up a quarrel between
virginity and marriage : but we admire both as useful
to each other, since the Lord and Provider does not
balance one against the other. For in relation to
each we keep hold on religion : for without honour-
able and God-fearing religion, neither virginity is
respectable nor marriage honourable."

I am sorry for the tediousness of these quotations,
but since Mr. Taylor has charged the ancient Church
\k'ith what he calls " the ascetic apostacy," or forbid-
ding to marry, it is necessary to bring a chain of evi-
dence to rebut his assertions and partial quotations.
I quite grant that an exaggerated value did attach
very generally to virginity, and therefore I bring
but little evidence on that side : but on the other
I shall endeavour to complete my chain. I come
therrrorc to Optatus, Bishop of Milevi in Numidia.
lie tnus gives his opinion of the claims of virginity '.

t^MKEV 6 QEiifj. UepieXe rov ti/jliov yufiop, Kctt ttov tvpiiauc to r»7c
TrntiOtPiaQ ('.vOoq', tiOiy yap Kai ovK iiWodtv ro rz/t' TrapOepiuf;
t'ivOoQ HvaXiyeTai. Tavra ce Xiyovrtc, iiymrt}Tol, ov fiuxTji'
TTdpinrftaWoiier i^utu^u TrupOtviac Kut ya/ioV ra ti^nrepa ce otv
€i\\}]X6^iEa tiav^ai^oidty, EirtiShv tSu' tKaripwi' 6 AeiTTrorT/f ka«
Upoini]T})c OVK ai'TiraXayrevii trtpov rjl tripij)' irpoQ yap r« £(wt«-
rtpd riirj OiOfTsjitiav ixtTui' ciytv yap r»7c Ttniac Ka\ dEoatftov^
EViT!J-]fiur ohrt irapOit'ia (jEfni) ohre yn/itor rifitOQ,

' Dc Sc/iisniate Dunafisfarum, vi. 4. Virgiiiitas onitn volun-
tatis res est, non necessitatis Paulus Apostolus .... docuit

189

" Virginity is a matter of choice and not of duty

Paul the Apostle taught how married

Christians ought to live: but when he was asked
what order he would make concerning virgins, he
answered that there was no conmiandment

" In regard to virginity, Paul delivers not pre-
cepts, but advice: he neither hinders those who
desire it, nor urges or constrains those who desire
it not. ' He who gives his virgin does well, but he
who does not give her does better :' this is the lan-
guage of advice, nor are there any precepts conjoined
with it, either of what wool their coifs ought to be
made, or," &c.

I need scarcely ask, what can be more moderate ?
And yet this was the countryman of Cyprian aud
Tertullian.

St. Gregory of Nyssa was brother of Basil the
great, and though married himself, may therefore be
supposed to be prejudiced in favour of celibacy. In
fact he wrote a treatise, in which he sets forth the
advantages of celibacy and the inconveniences of
marriage. But he is so far from insisting upon

quomodo conjugales Christiani debeant vivere : a quo cum
quaereretur quid de virginibus praeciperet, respondit nihil esse
mandatum.

Non praecepta sed consilium erogat Paulus ad virginitatem ;
nee impedimento est volentibus, nee nolentes impellit aut cogit.
' Qui dederit virginem suam bene facit, et qui non dederit melius
fucit : ' haec sunt verba consilii ; nee ulla sunt praecepta con-
juncta, vel de qua lana mitella fierct, &c.

190

;^^

[f '

1-.^

■<

'>:;

;.-..

:,Q

." '

1 .^

- 1

►r"

•-i

i*«

;5'

1-4,

■^'

celibacy, that in his first chapter he thinks it bad
policy to extol it excessively, for fear of rendering
it suspected ; in the third, he confesses that he is a
married man, and treats virginity not as meritorious
or profitable in itself, but simply as a means to an
end : and in the eighth chapter he expressly cautions
his readers against supposing that he blamed mar-
riage, and excuses his not setting forth its praises,
on the ground that nature and pleasure are sufficient
incitements to it; except perhaps for the sake of
the impure, who break the laws of the Church.

To read Mr. Taylor's pages, we might suppose
that all tne Fathers were engaging in a conspiracy
to eject marriage from the Church. Let us there-
fore now turn to Ambrose, who is one of the strongest
advocates for virginity and continence in all its shapes,
and whose writings upon that and kindred subjects,
amount to 300 pages out of 1200. In his commen-
tary on St. Luke he thus writes : ' " Nor was it
without an object that in the very beginning of
Genesis, by the command of God, marriage is insti-
tuted: but it was done that heresy might be de-
stroyed. For God so approved marriage, that He
united in wedlock ; He so rewarded it, that the
divine goodness granted children to those, to whom

' Exjws. Ev. Luc, i. 30. Nee otiose in piiiicipio statim Gene-
sis Dei jussu conjugium copulatur, nisi ut lla3re^is destruatur.
Sic enim Deus conjugium probavit, ut jungeret ; sic remune-
ratus est, ut quibus sterilitas filios denegasset, pietas divina con-
ccderet.

191

ks it bad
rendering
lat he is a
neritorious
leans to an
y cautions
amed mar-
its praises,
■e sufficient
he sake of
lurch.

ht suppose
conspiracy
et us there-
le strongest
11 its shapes,
ed subjects,
lis commen-
Nor was it
eginning of
iage is insti-
ight be de-
^e, that He
it, that the
se, to whom

statim Gene-
sis destruatur.
; sic remune-
itaa (livina con-

barrenness denied them." From another passage'
we learn that the Church was so far from forbid-
ding to marry, that whosoever publicly condemned
marriage incurred the penalty of excommunication.
He expressly declares that virginity ^ is not for the
many but for the few, that it is above ' the generality
of persons, and rather to be wished for than enjoined.
He uses the same language which we have before
met with, as to the various but not discordant merits
of the various conditions of celibacy, widowhood, and
marriage. * " The Church therefore is a farm rich
in various products. Here you may behold the shoots
of virginity teeming with blossoms ; then, as in the
glades of a forest, widowhood excelling in the depth
of its foliage ; in another quarter the corn field of
the Church filling the granaries of the world with

' iv. 10, Vidit illibatum et illibataj castimoniae virum :
suadet ut miptias damnet, que "iiciatur ab ecclesia, et studio
castitatis a casto corpore separetur.

' De Virginibus, 1. v. 35. Non itaque dissuadeo nuptias, sed
f'ructus sacrat.'B virginitatis enumero. Paucarum quippe hoc
munus est, illud omnium. Nee potest esse virginitas, nisi habeat
unde nascatur.

' § 23. Non enim imperari potest virginitas sed optari : nam
quaj supra nos sunt, in voto mr ;is quam in niagisterio sunt.

* De Firginilate, § 34. Est ergo Ecclesia ager diversis fce-
cundus nopiis. Hie cernas germina virginitatis flore vernantia ;
illic tanquam in campis silvae viduitatem gravitate pollentem ;
alibi tanquam uberi fruge conjugii Ecclesiae segetem replentem
mundi horrea, ac veluti maritatae vineaj foctibus torcularia
Domini Jesu redundantia, in quibus fidelis conjugii fructus exu-
berut.

192

■■<i

the rich fruits of wedlock, and tlie vvine-prcsses of
the Lord Jesus overflowing with tlie produce of the
married vineyard ; amongst which the fruits of faith-
ful wedlock are most abundant."

It is remarkable how much more the Latin
Fathers of this age press the subject of virginity,
than the Greeks do. Jerome asserts, indeed, that
in the most considerable of the ancient Churches, no
person was made a clergyman who was not either
under a vow of celibacy, or unmarried, or bound to
live with his wife as with a sister '. And it would
seem^ as though in his time a bishop, or other
clergyman, subjected himself to the same penalty as
an adulterer, if he had children after he was in or-
ders. He admits, it is true, that married men were
chosen for ordination ; but for the reason I have
already given ^ that otherwise a sufficient number of

' AdversHs Vigilantiam. Quid facient Orientis ecclesia! 1
Quid iEgypti et sedis apostolicae ? quao aut vir[,i,\es clericos ac-
cipiunt, aut continentes, aut si uxores habufint, niariti esse
desinunt.

' Adversus Jovinianum, i. Certe confiteris non posse esse
episcopum, qui in episcopatu filios facial : alioqui, si deprehensus
f uerit, non quasi vir tenebitur, sed quasi adulter damnabitur.

It may be observed, by the bye, that Jovinian was condemned
at Rome, not for advocating the marriage of the clergy, as Mr.
Taylor asserts, but for asserting that baptism delivers us from
sin, future as well as past, from sin as well as from guilt. See
Jerome's treatise against the Pelagians, iii. near the beginning.

^ Adver, Jovin, i. Eliguntur mariti in sacerdotium, non nego,
([uia non sunt tanti virgines, quanti necessarii sunt sacerdotes.

193

eligible persons could not be found for the priest-
hood. But tliat colibjicy by itself was no rocommen-
dation, he expressly declares ' ; and shows by his
expressions, that there was a strict inquisition into
the character of those who were to be ordained.
This had now been necessary, even from the time
before the council of Nice ; for the Church afforded
stations of influence and power, if not of great
wealth ; .and now that persecution no longer kept
out the unprincijdcd, it was become still more im-
l)erative. The Cimrch offered a station exempt from
bodily labour, and attended with a certain degree of
honour; and although the emoluments were not
great, they were sufficient for unmarried men. To
those, therefore, who understand human nature, it is
not to be wondered at that exclusion should now be
necessary, when formerly it was difficult to find per-
sons to undertake the onerous responsibility of holy
offices. The confidence, likewise, which was reposed
by all ranks of men in the clergy, which had done
away, in a great degice, with the necessity of dea-
conesses, by permitting them free access to the females
of families, and to the virgins of the Church, began
to operate as a temptation to frivolous and pleasure-

' Et quomodo, inquies, frequenter in ordinatione sacerdotali
virgo negligitur, et maritus assumitur ? Quia forte cetera opera
non liabet virginitati congruentia. Aut virgo putatur et non est ;
aut est virginitas infamis ; aut certu ipsa virginitas ei parit super-
biam, et duni sibi appluudit de sola corporis castitate, virtutcs
ceteras ncgligit.

194

<
•i

loving men : for Jerome tells na ', that there were
now men found who cared for little but dress, who
notwithstanding sought to enter the sacred ministry ;
and for what purpose ? That they might have freci-
access to women. And yet this very circumstance
shows, tliat, hitherto at least, the general conduct of
the clergy must have been sucli as to inspire confi-
dence, otherwise the ancient jealousy would have
been kept up, which had excluded them formerly
from the apartments of women, eipially with all
other men.

But Jerome's testimony likewise painfully shows
that at Rome the old corruptions which wo have
seen appearing at Carthage in Cyprian's time, were
breaking out again. There were to be found conse-
crated maidens - who endeavoured to attract public
admiration, and draw after them crowds of young
men. Nay worse, there were those'' who openly
and systematicaUy allowed themselves to share the
same dwelling, the same chamber, the same bed
with favoured individuals of the other sex, and yet
called those suspicious who imagined ony evil in
such intimacy. This indeed was a natural consc-

' De Custodia Virginilalis, Sunt alii, qui idco Prcsbyte-
ratum et Diaconatum ambiunt, ut muliercs liccntius videant.
Omnis his cura de vestibus, &c.

* Ibid. Quae per publicum notabiliter incedunt, et furtivis
oculorum nutibus adolescentium greges post se trahunt.

' Eadem domo, uno cubiculo, sajpe uno teiicntur ct kflulo, et
suspiciosus nos vocaiit, si aliquid cxistimamus.

195

qiiencc, wliore persons of immature piety bound
tlieniselves by a vow of cebL. '•y. It naturally arose
from that vow, when the Ciiurch was no lonjrer
hedged in by the thorny fence of persecution. And
accordingly from this time it seems to appear more
distinctly.

But the very fact, that with a keen perception of
:iiese evils, when tiiey appeared, such a man as
Jerome should have upheld religious celibacy with
all his power, shows at least that the general and all
but universal condition of the celibates must have
been granted to be pure. For he was a man bound
to no opinions but his own. He set at nought his
ecclesiastical superiors when he thought proper. And
he even ventured, in consequence of a systematic
study of the Hebrew originals of the Old Testament,
to set all antiquity at defiance, and to dislodge the
Septuagint version of the Scriptures from that high
veneration in which it was held in the Church. So
that he, at least, was not shackled by the voice of
his contemporaries. He owns moreover that he did
not belong to the celibatic order. And the natural
conclusion therefore to which we come, is, that the
moral condition of liiose of that order had not
sustained any general deterioration in his time.

Neither in his estimacion of virginity did he
venture upon detracting from marriage. He ex-
pressly acknowledges Ihat it was good in itself;
and argues that the very facu of comparing virginity

' Epist, xviii. ad Eustochium. Dicat aliquis, Et audes nuptiis
detrahere, quuu a Deo benedictas sunt ? Non est detrahere nup-

190

f^ IK.
>' 14,

witii it by way of eiiliaiuMn^ tlio niorits of the latter,
proved that he a('kiiowle(l<^e(l Its Intrinsic exct^lleiice:
for " no one," ho says, " compares a bad thing with
a good one."

There are two or three other documents of this
age which require our attention. The first is the
Council of Valence in France, of the vear 374. One
of its decrees concerns clergymen, and the other
virgins. The first ' forbids those to be ordained for
the future, who had been twice married or had
married widows, but professedly refrains from inter-
fering with digamists who had been previously
ordained. It is clear from this that the rules spoken
of by Jerome and Epiphanius were not universal ;
for here we have not only clergy married, but even
twice married.

The second canon '^ shows that the severity of
})unishing the marriage of consecrated virgins with
penance, was extended to France : for it decrees

tiis, quum illis virginitas antefertur. Nemo malum bono com-
parat.

^ Can. i. Sedit igitiir, neminem post banc synodum, qua ejus-
modi illicitis vel sero succurritur, de digamis aut internuptarum
(iterum iiuptarum. Du Cange.) maritis ordinari clericum posse.
Nee rcquirendum utrumno initiati sacramentis diviiiis, anne gen-
tiles, liac se infelicis sortis necessitate macularint, cum divini pre-
cepti casta sit forma. Sed quia fratrum nostrorum vel imperitiam
vel simplicitatem vel etiam praesumptionem damnare non pos-
sumus, nee per omnes ecclesias quae sunt jampridem male gesta
corrigere, placuit etiam de eorum statu qui prius ordinati [sint]
nihil revolvi, si nulla extrinsecus causa procedat, qua indigni
niinistetio comprobentur.

' Can, ii. De puellis vcro quiju se Deo voverunt, si ad terrenas

197

the latter,
'xcflloiicc:
tiling with

iits of this
first is tbc
374. Ono
the other
rdaincd for
ied or had
from inter-
previously
nies spoken
universal ;
d, but even

severity of

virgins with

it decrees

im bono com-

3um, qua ejus-
internuptarum
jlericum posse,
iiiis, anne gen-
um divini pre-
vel imperitiani
nare non pos-
;m male gesta
ordinati [sint]
t, qua indigni

, si ad terrenas

that they are not to bo adniitti'd to mnininnion
again till after full penance.

The Council of Haragossa in Spain, which was held
the next year, is worthy of attention, both as showin;]^
that an ascetic mania bad spread into S[>ain, and
that more as a fashion than from a real self-denial,
and that tbere was that turn in the tide which f
have before noticed. For its sixth canon ' decrees
the excommunication of those clergymen who should
forsake tbe active duties of their ))rofcssion to be-
come solitaries; and the eighth- forbids virgins to
take the veil, that is, to profess themselves so i)ub-
licly, until they should be of tbe agr' of forty. When
the veil came to be the distinction of the femjilc
celibate we do not learn ; but that it was so at this
period appears very evident from the writings of St.
Ambrose.

The general Council of Constantinople, which was
held this year, made no decree on the subject of
virginity or the celibacy of the clergy : so that, as

nuptias sponte transierint, id custodicndum esse decroviimis, ut
pojnitentia his nee statim d tur, ct cum data fuerit, nisi plene
satisfccerint Deo in quantum ratio poposccrit, eaiundem com-
munio difFi'ratur.

' Can. vi Si quis de clericis propter luxum vanitatcmque pra;-
sumptam de officio sponte discesserit, ac velut observatorcm legis
monachum videri voluerit magis quam clericuni, ita de ecclesia
ropcUcndum, ut nisi rogando atque observando plurimis tempo-
ril)us satisfocerit, non recipiatur.

^ Ibid. viii. Non vclandus esse virginos, qua; se Deo vovoriiil,
nisi quadraginta annorum probata a>tate quam sacerdos conipro-
baverit.

198

yet, whatever was done was matter of usage, or of
rule in j)articular cliurches, but was not <lccree(l by
the representatives of the Church universal.

CHAPTER IV.

IT'

•J

» -<

..J

Tex or fifteen years more bring us on to the time
at which St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostoni
were the luminaries of the Church, the one in the
west, the other in the east.

The language of St. Augustine indicates no gene-
ral relaxation in the estimation of virginity in the
west, or in the strictness of the discipline l)y whicli
the obligation of its vow was enforced. On the
contrary it ajipears ' that those who had made the
profession could not marry with impunity. But
still, he himself declares of such, that, although ho
regards those who, after taking the vow, from the
prevalence of sensual passion longed to break it, as
being in a state of deadly sin, yet they would do
much better to marry than continue in such a state
of mind. And he unites with all who have gone

' De Virginitate, 34. Ilae igitiir quae nuberc volunt, et ideo
non nubunt quia impunc non possunt, quae melius nubcrcnt quam
urerentur, id est, quam occulta flamma concupiscentioe in ipsa
conscientia vastarentur, quas poenitet professionis et piget pro-
fessionis, nisi correctum cor dirigant et Dei timore rursus libidi-
nem vincant, in mortuis dcputandac sunt.

• 109

before liirt in warning' tlie professed not to con-
temn marriage as a bad thing in itself, or as liaving
any thing of impurity in it, for that virginity '^ of
soul is Just as much the duty of the faithful gene-
rally, as virginity of person of a few. Tiiis last pas-
sago is especially worthy of observation, because it
shows that, whatever appearances there are of a
latent idea of inferior purity in marriage, it was not
one which was deliberately avowed ; for the soul,
which is the real seat of j>urity, was regarded as
equally capable of purity in marriage as in celibacy.
Indeed four of St. Augustine's letters {25'2 — 255.)
are concerning a young lady, left in his guardian-
ship as bishop, for whom he was looking out for
a suitable opportunity of marrying

The Councils of Carthage which took place in his
day, one in a.d. 397, a second in 398, and a third
in 401, and at which he, as bishop of Hippo, of
course assisted, give us some insight into the
l)ractical working of celibacy. It was found neces-
sary in both the first to keep up the regulation
against clergymen having strangers for their house-
keepers or companions ^. It appears from one of

' De sancia rirginitate, 18. Unde sectatores et sectatrices
perpetuse continentiae et sacrae virginitatis admoneo, ut bonum
suum ita praeferant nuptiis, ne malum judicent nuptias.

Qui ergo sine conjugio permanere volnerint, non tanquam
foveam peccati nuptias fugiant ; sed tanquam collcm minoris
boni transcendant, ut in majoris contincntias monte requiesoant.

' Sermo 341. § 5. Virginitas corporis in paucis ccdesiu.', vir-
ginitas mentis in omnibus fidelibus esse debet.

^ Concil. iii. Can. xvii. Ut cum omnibus omnino clericis

200

oach ', that danger was apprehended from too fre-
(pient inter(!ourse between the church virgins and
widows, and the ministers of thv. church, and tliat
the latter were not permitted to visit them unac-
companied. It appears likewise that the church
readers were now required ^ either to marry, or to
make a vow of chastity, when they came to proper
age ; but that it was left to their option which they
should do : but bishops, priests, and deacons, if mar-
ried, were now bound to live with their wives as
with sisters ^

■' 'j

-^ X.:

;' (-4;

extraneoe feminac non cohabitent, sed solae matrcs, aviae, mater-
tcrae, amita?, sorores et filiie fratrum aut sororum, et quoecunque
ox familia domestica necessitate etiam antequani oidinarentur jam
cum eis habitabant ; vel si fitii eoriim jam ordinatis parentibus
uxores acceperint ; aut, servis non habentibus in domo quas
ducant, aliunde ducere nccessitas fuerit.

Concil. iv. Can. xlvi. Clericus cum extraneis non habitet.

' Con. iii. Can. xxv. Ut clerici vel continentes ad viduas vel
virgines, nisi jussu vel permissu episcoporum, non accedant. Et
hoc non soli faciant, sed cum clericis vel cum his cum quibus
cpiscopus jusserit vel presbyter : nee ipsi episcopi aut presbyteri
soli habeant accessum ad hujusmodi feminas, nisi aut clerici
pracsentes sint aut graves aliqui Christiani.

Con, iv. Can. cii. Ad reatum episcopi pertinet vel presbyteri
qui parochiae prasest, si sustentandae vita3 causa adolescentiorcs
viduaa vel sanctimoniules clericorum subjiciantur.

' Con. iii. Can. xix. Placuit ut lectores, cum ad annos
pubertatis venerint, cogantur aut uxores ducere aut continentiam
profiteri.

" Concil. V. Capit. iii. Practerea cum de quorundam clerico-
rum, quamvis erga uxores proprias, incontinentia referretur,
l)lacuit episcopos et presbyteros et diaconos, secundum propria

201

n too frc-
irgins and
I, and tliat
icm unac-
lie church
arry, or to
to proper
which they
ns, if mar-
r wives as

aviae, mater-
it quocicunque
linarentur jam
itis parentibus
1 domo quas

m habitet.
ad viduas vel
iccedant. Et
s cum quibus
aut presbyter!
si aut clerici

vel presbyteri
idolescentiores
iiitur.

im ad annos
continentiara

indam clerico-
tia referretur,
ndum propria

It would seem likewise that in Africa, it now
began to be felt necessary to restrict he profession
of virginity: for wo have a regulation that none
shall be allowed to profess till they are of the age
of twenty-five'. A particular habit ai)pears to have
been established ^ : and although it was most usual
for the virgins to live with their friends ^ there were
establishments in which those who chose, or were
destitute, might live in common, under the superin-
tendence of the bishop. St. Paul's opinion concern-
ing those church widows who married a second time
was enforced by excommunication*.

statuta, etiam ab uxoribus continere : quod nisi fecerint, ab
ecclesiastico removcantur officio. Ceteros autem clericos ad hoc
non cogi ; sed secundum uniuscuj usque ecclesiae consuetudincm
observari debere.

* Con. iii. Can. iv. Placuit ut ante 25 annos aetatis nee dia-
coni ordinentur nee virgines consecrentur.

' Con. iv. Can. xi. Sanctimonialis virgo, cum ad consecra-
tionem suo episcopo ofFertur, in talibus vestibus applicetur, quali-
bus semper usura est, professioni et sanctimoniae aptis. See
Can. civ.

' Con. iii. Can. xxxiii. Ut virgines sacrae, cum parentibus
a quibus custodiebantur privatae fuerint, episcopi providentia, vel
presbyteri ubi episcopus absens est, in monasterio virginum vel
gravioribus feminis commendentur, et simul habitantes invicem
se custodiant; ne passim vagantes ecclesiae laedent existimatio-
nem.

* Con. iv. Can. civ. Sicut bonum est castitatis praemium, ita
et majori observantia et proeceptione custot!'>.^ndum est: ut si
quae viduae, quantumlibet adhuc in minoribus annis positae et
matura aetate a viro relictae, se devoverunt Domino, et veste

Q02

One of these councils thinks it necessary that
a bishop, previously to his consecration, should
expressly declare that he did not condemn mar-

riage

The ]H'ogress of austerity towards the clergy and
those who professed celibacy in the west, further
appears from the council of Toledo in Spain, which
was contemporaneous with the last of these African
councils. It appears that up to that time, married
clergymen were not prohibited from cohabiting with
their wives : but that from this time the regulation
was to be strictly enforced, that no such person could
rise to a higher rank than he then occupied ^ The
widov of a bishop, priest, or deacon, could not

- t-4.

V*.

laicali abjecta sub testimonio episcopi et ecclesiae religioso habitu
apparuerint, postea vero ad nuptias saeculares transierint, secun-
dum Ajjostolum damnationem habebunt, quoniam fidem castitatis
quam Domino voverunt irritam facere ausfe sint. Tales ergo
personne sine Christianorum communione maneant, quae etiam
nee in convivio cum Christianis communicent.

' Con. iv. Capit. i. Qui episcopus ordinandus est

Quaerendum etiam ab eo si nuptias non improbet, si

secunda matrimonia non damnet, si carnium perceptionera non
culpet, &c.

2 Capit. i. Placuit, ut diacones, si vel integri vel casti sint,
et continentis vitae, etiamsi uxores babeant, in ministerio consti-
tuantur : ita tamen, ut si qui etiam ante interdictum, quod per
Lusitanos episcopos constitutum est, incontinenter cum uxoribus
suis vixerint, presbytcrii bonorc non cumulentur ; siquis vero
ex presbyteris ante interdictum fib'os susceperit, de presbyterio ad
episcopatum non permittatur.

mariti
viviur
menti

devotJ

raaterl

Pater I

vero

poenit

petier

nionel

203

(ssary tliat
)ii, slioiild
lemii niar-

clorgy and
}st, fiu'tlicr

)ain, which
ese African
ne. married
ihiting with
regulation
)crson coukl
)ied^ Tlic
coukl not

eligioso habitu
nsierint, seani-
fidem castitatis
it. Tales ergo
Hit, quae etiam

s est

on improbet, si
rceptionem non

ri vel casti sint,
inisterio consti-
ictum, quod per
r cum uxoribus
ur ; siquis vero
e presbyterio ad

marry again ', nor the daughter of a bishoj), priest,
or deacon, who had professed, marry at all, without
incurring the penalty of excommunication, not to be
relaxed till the death-bed ''. It does not, however,
appear what penalty, if any, existed against the
marriage of other widows and virgins.

We now come to St. John Chrysostom, who like
all of his age wrote in favour of virginity, and espe-
cially thought it his duty to stand up in defence of
the ascetic life. I have already remarked a dispo-
sition to austerity in the writers of the western
church, which was not sanctioned bv the eastern ;
and St. Chrysostom confirms my observation. The
great dirtinction is, that it does not appear that as
yet there was any punishment consequent on the
marriage of those who had taken the vow in the
eastern church, and that some of the eastern fathers
even recommended it in certain cases; amongst
whom was the father of whom we are now speaking.

' xviii. Si qua vidua episcopi sive presbyteri aut diaconi
maritum acceperit, nuUus clericus, nulla religiosa, cum ea con-
vivium sumat, nunquam communicet ; morienti tantum ei sacra-
mentum subveniat.

" xix. Episcopi sive presbyteri sive diaconi filia, si Deo
devota fuerit, et peccaverit et maritum duxerit, si earn pater vel
mater in aflfectum receperint, a communioire babeantur alieni.
Pater vero causas in concilio se noverit praestaturum ; mulier
vero non admittatur ad communionem, nisi marito defuncto egerit
poenitentiam. Si autem vivente eo secesserit et poenituerit vel
petierit communionem, in ultimo vitae deficiens accipiat commu-
nionem.

'204

■ , '-J

.■-' t-
-'■ X.

■ ^

This we see in his remonstrance ' against the prac-
tice which we have already seen the Church trou-
bled to repress, viz. that of professed virgins living
in the same house with unmarried men ; in whieli
he absolutely recommends those to marry who
wished for the society of men : and declares that
such a marriage was neither condemned by God nor
censured by men. He likewise acknowledges that
many quitted the monasteries to marry ^. So again
in the treatise on virginity, in opposition to those
who spoke ill of marriage, he says ^ " Marriage is
good, because it preserves a man in modesty, &e.
Therefore censure it not, for it has great advantage."
And he affirms with regard to celibacy, that St.
Paul * " has not condemned those who have not
the power to observe it, but to those who have the
power he has pointed out a great and lofty enter-

' Hepi Tov fifi KavoviKac^ avvoiKtlv avlpaaiv.

Et yap avcpuQ ktriQv^Ciq f^\ttv avvmKovvTaq, ovk 'tSei Trapdii'lay
tXitrdai, aW etti tov ycijiov iXQtiv' TroWy ydft (3i\Tiov yafitiv
eKeivo)g, j*/ napdsvevEiv ovrwc* lov fxey yap toiovtov ydfiov ovre
u 0£OG KaTuEiKa^lei, ovte avdpw/roi Eia(id\\oven' rifiiov yop kari
TO Trpd/fjia, ov^iva aBiKovv ov^e ttXTittov.

' Adversus Vitce Monasticce Oppugnalores, iii. 14. Ovre yop
roaovToi irpog tov ydfjov and tu>v fiovaoTripiwv eKfiaivovtriv, oaoi
irpoQ TropvoQ dno rJ/C tvvifg dviirTavTui tQv yvvaiKu>v.

' De Firginltate, 25. KaXoi' 6 ya'^of, oti ev (Tiixppoffvvri tov
dvlpa SiaTr)pEl k, t. X. M>) roivvv auroj/ ^«a,(3d\f/c' ttoXu yap

£)(£l TO tcipEoQ.

* 2, Tovg fiev fi^ ^vvajjiEvovg ob KUTEKpivE, tSiv hi SwafjiEvuv
noXvv Kal inripoyKov tov dyijjva dvE^Ei^E,

ber,

iifilv
ydfio

VUTE

t^05

prize." But he draws a most lamentable picture of
the state of society in Constantinople in his time. I
say of the state of society generally, for although no
doubt his subject leads him to specify the sins of
the professed virgins \ yet there are indications of
much general dcj)ravity. Thus in his treatise in
favour of the monastic life, granting to his oppo-
nents that the vow was not always kept, and that
many monks quitted the monasteries in order to
marry, he affirms '^ that there were fewer who did
so, than of those in ordinary life who quitted the
embraces of a wife for those of a harlot. When
society in general was thus polluted, was it sur-
prising that those who lived in the world, as the
consecrated virgins did hitherto, should become
occasionally polluted with the atmosphere that sur-
rounded them ? But on the other hand, we must
bear in mind that he is not speaking of the Chris-
tian world at large, but of the population of a cor-
rupt capital. Let the condition therefore of the
church virgins have been as deplorable as it might
be there, and at Rome, is it right to conclude with-
out explicit evidence, as Mr. Taylor does, that it
was equally so elsewhere ? Jerome, let us remem-
ber, was a clergyman of Rome, Chrysostom patriarch

' De Virginitatc, 8. Ovtoq yctf) ^£i»r£(joe, fxaWov Se koi rpirog
vfuy noXvafiuiv Kui iiKadapcrlaQ tTTiveyotirai rpuirog' (vOt ai roy
ydfiov utQ evaytj (pivyovaai ourjJ tout^ rw ipevytiv Travriov yf.yo-
vart ivaytaTipai, ira^A)wiav e'upvvaai nopVEtaQ juiopwrfpar.

* Sec note ', p. "204.

'iOG

of Constantinople, both capitals, and both inheriting,
in all their dreadful rankness, the deeply dyed vices
of heathenism. And Christianity was no longer
persecuted, but honoured : so that the world
thronged into the Church, with much of the spirit
of heathenism along wit]i it. Is it reasonable then
to attribute the decrease of piety in the Church to
the influence of the practice of celibacy, or to attri-
bute the deterioration of all classes of Christians
to that one general caur", which operated equally
upon all ?

CHAPTER V.

H VINO now carried on the chain of evidence to
Chi^sostom, I imagine most of my readers will be
satisfied that I have gone far enough for the purpose
of exhibiting the doctrine of the Primitive Church.
Those who are acquainted with the state of things
after this period will feel that, except in the preser-
vation of purity of doctrine on the great fundamen-
tals of Christianity, the Church as a body had lamen-
tably little in common with the Churches of the
subapostolical age. The rides of discipline enacted,
indeed, were more minute and more stringent than
was thought necessary in earlier times, but that very

•207

minuteness and stringency proves the growing cor-
ruption. Not, 1 imagine, that there were numeri-
cally fewer pious persons in th( Church than for-
merly, but that they were so outnumbered by the
multitude*! who now ;irofessed the Gospel, without
attempting to reduce it to practice. And even in
Chrysostom's time, that was the case to a great
extent. It began with the cessation of persecution,
and had gone on increasing ever since.

But I am desirous of carrying on the investigation
in a somewhat slighter and more perfunctory man-
ner to a much later period, for the purpose of show-
ing to what extent the Church, as a body, was
committed at any 'period to restricting marriage,
either amongst clei.;y, or amongst laity. I shall
therefore advance to the council of Chalcedon, in the
middle of the fifth century, which sat upon the
Eutychian controversy.

But before I quote its canons, it will be necessary
to cite the remarks of JVI. Dupin, the Roman
Catholic historian, upon them. He says, " As for
myself, I much doubt wliether this collection of
canons were made in any session of the council, but
do rather believe that they were composed since,
and taken out of the several actions. 'Tis easy to
find the places." Now, after this remark, we must
see how very doubtful it must be w hetlier any of the
canons, which we cannot trace to something more
authentic than the "collection" of them, can be
reuarded as canons of the universal Church.

208

► --4

<
M

'■it

Its first ca.ion ' confirms tlie rules of all the synods
hitherto, which Bishop Bcveridge interprets of those
of Nice, Ancyra, Ncocaisarea, Gangni, Antioch, and
Laodicea. It therefore decrees, that virgins who
violate their profession, should be subjected to the
same penance as those who married a second time ^
and that if a priest marries after ordination, he shall
be degraded ' ? With regard, however, to the confir-
mation of these canons by this council, there must
be some doubt, from i^^ere being a canon, profes-
sedly of Chalcedon ^ declaring that it is not lawful
for a professed virgin, or a monk, to marry, ai)point-
ing excommunication as the j)enalty, but still leaving
them to the clemency of their respective bishops.
The meaning probably is, that if either of these
should marry, they should bo excluded from the
Holy Communion until they had performed such
penance as the Bishop migiit appoint. It is how-
ever declared, unequivocally, if we accept this as
one of the undoubted decrees of this council, that i«

' Kay. a, Tovg irapd rdv hyluiv Traripuv /ca6' tKdffrrjv avvolov
a^pi Tov vvv EKTEdifTaQ Kavoyac Kparilf iSiKaiwaafitp.

There is something very loose anil undeflncd in this. If it is
to include any other than the general councils, how is it to be
shown which were included ?

^ Concil. Ancyr. Can. 19.

' Concil. Neocaesar. Can. 1.

^ Can. 16. Uapdivov dpudilirav kavrriv rif Atairorri Oe^, Coaav'
rwc Kcii ixofd^ovTat;, fj.}) tS,uvai yufif npoaofiiKtlv' tt ci ye t'vpibtitv
rnuTO TTOtouiTfCj iarwaav dKoivutvrfToi, 'ilpiaafitv Ct tytiv r))y
uvdti'Teini' r^c tn avTole (juXavdputniaQ ruv vara ruiroy initrKOTroy,

'209

the Hynods

s of those

tioch, and

rgins ^vho

ed to the

nd time ^,

n, he shall

lie confir-

;hore must

111, profes-

not lawful

y, appoint-

till leaving

'e bishops.

r of these

from the

rmed such

It is how-

fpt this as

icil, that L

'arrju avvolov

his. If it is
! is it to be

ri Gt^, Coaav-

i yt tvpeUtlev

Se t\tiv ri)y

is not lawful for t^>oso who have vowed celibacy to
break their vow. But after all, what is this but
declaring what we must all feel to be true? The
error was, as I have said, in urging persons to take
the vow, or in accepting it jaiblicly : but on this
point the council only takes matters as it found
them, without defining either one way or another ;
although it must be allowed t'lat it gives the prac-
tice a sanction by regulating it.

If, however, the council of Chalcedon did actually
ratify the first carion of Neocajsarea, it was not
considered universally binding in the Church : for
(a. d. 459) we find a letter of Lupus, bishop of
Troyes, and Euphronius, bishop of Autun, to Thalas-
sius, bishop of Anjou, in which they say, that it is
better for the clergy to abstain from marriage, dut iti
this they must follow the custom of the Churches.

To show more strongly, that the professed canons
of the council of Chalcedon *'»*o to be received with
a degree of doubt, we will go on to the supplement
to the sixth general council of Constantinople, (some-
times called Quini-sext,) which indeed is not recog-
nized by Roman Catholics as a general council, for
reasons *vhich will appear very obviously, when we
come to cite its canons.

The second canon acknowledges the authority of
the eighty-five canons, commonly called apostolical :
it recognizes them as apostolical, and consequently
shows that they must at that time have possessed
considerable antiquity ; although many things in

210

them iK'tray an ago considerably sabsecjuent to that
of the Apostles. Now tl . canon ' of this col-

lection expressly enacts, that ir any bishop, priest, or
deacon, should under p'*etence of religion put away
his wife, he should be debarred from the Holy Com-
munion, and if ho ])ersevered, should be deposed.
There appears, indeed, a sort of contradiction to this,
in the twelfth canon of the Quini-sext, or Trullan
council -, which ordains that a l/t.shop on his conse-
cration should separate from his wife. But the
council declares, that the enactment was made, not
to oppose the apostolical canon, but to avoid scan-
dal ; and the next canon ^ expressly declares that,
" For as much as it 1ms come to our knowledge, that
it has been enacted in the Church of the Romans,

* Kaj'. t. '^iriuKOTTOQ y TrpEff/Jiirfpoc *i BiUKoyoc ri/v tavrov
yvvulna fxrj eKl^aWtTto 7rf)V(j)dffei ti/Xa/it/ac' tuy ce £\/3a'\X»/
U(jioi)ii^iaO<i>' iTrijjiiyoJv Be KaOaipiicrdw,

^ liny, ij^, Kat tovto ^e etc yyiocTiy ijnertpay 7i\dty, <ic ty re
rrj 'AtppiKtj Kat Atftvri Kai eripoig rmoiq, oi riov tKeitre deotpiXe-
araroL Tvpvi^pui avvoiKEiy rale \hiaiq ya^iriCiQ koi jxtrd Tt)y Itt'
uvTOvg TrpoeXdovffay -^tipoToyiay oh napTjTOvyru, wpoffkufina roli;
tyTtiiOey aXXott,- rtfltVrtc 'v«l (TKaycuXoy. IIoXX^c ovy ii/Jily otov-
ITiq ovarjc tov iruvTa -rrpoq thipiXeiay tGjv i/tto x*'P" Troifivluy
haTrpiiTTeirdai, iio^ey uiart /Jij^a^uwc to toiovtov diru tov yvv
yiytaOai. Tovto ce fufiey, ovk ett' ddeTi'iaei f/ aVarpoTrj; rwy
aVooToXiKwc yeyofioOerrjfiivtjy, dXXd TiJQ rrunqplug Kat r»7c
TrpoKoniiQ Tijq iirl to Kpti-Toy Twy Xuuiy TtpoQv^iov^tvoi, Koi to /Jt)
covyai fAi'ofio) Tiyi rd TiJQ lipaTiKiic KUTaoTiKTEWc' 0jj(tI ydp 6

ds'toij 'ATTorjroXoQ' nurTa eiQ ^o^n^' KndioQ Kuyij XpiffTOv,

El H Ti£ ijmpaOeu] to tuwvto -paTTeiv, KaOniptifrdio.

' Ko^. ly. 'ETTtttj) £j' Tij Tw/ialioy lKKX7)ffit^ iv Tui,ei KityoyoQ

(ITuXl

avyoi

Tl)y TT

'■'7c "■/

ovrog
(Tvroi
('l-toXd
Ttjy 6
yrjOti
Tou e\

etc HIT

211

t to that
f this col-
priost, or
put away
oly Corn-
deposed.
)ii to this,
)!• Tiullaii
his conse-
But the
made, not
void scan-
lares that,
edge, that
) Romans,

T))v kavrov

9tP, wc f-y re
fxtrd T>)y in

OOKUflfXa TOl.<i
Iv J/ft'J' (T'TOV-

Ipa TTOinviitiv
dnb Tov vvv
Ivarpotrij riHy
tiuQ Kal rj/c
>oi, Kal TO fit)
(prjtTi yap 6
:ayw XpiaTOv.

TuUt Ktll'OVflC

that those wlio arc about to be ordained deacons or
priests, should jiromise to have no furtiier matrimo-
nial intercourse with their wives, ice, followtNfj tin:
ancient rule of aposUdieul .strictness and order, de-

that the lawful

st.s shall

anions oj priests snail remain
from heneefitnvard established, by no means looscn-
injj the tie which binds them to their wives, or
depriving them of intercourse with each other at
suitable times ; wherefore if any one should be found
worthy of ordination as subdeacon, deacon or priest,
let him by no means be hindered from adeancement
to that degree, though cohabiting with his laivful
uiife, so that we may not from henceforth be com-
pelled to insult marriage, which was instituted by

God, and blessed by his presence We know,

indeed, as the members of the Synod at Carthage

irupahtlwaQai iUyiWfitv, roue fiiWoyraij hanovov Ti Trpeajivripov
XtipoToyiac u^iovadai, KadofioXvytly wc ovKtri Tu'ig avTwy avtuw-
Turrai yajuercttc* ///iflc tu a^jj^uiw i^UKoXovOuiiyrti; Kayovi r»/c uiro'
arvXiKijc uKpifttiac khI ras£wc, rU rioy ItpHy ayCpCjy kuto. y6^(WQ
avvoiKtaiu ku\ uiro tuv rvv t()(>G)aQui jhvXofxtdn, f.ir]^a^u)g avrwy
Tt)y Trpoc y«/i£rac avyd(j>eiav SiuXvovtec, y dTrurrrtpovyTcc uvroi/t:
TTJQ TTpitQ uXXi'iXovQ Kara mipoy tuv irpoai'iKoyTii o/^uXmc* wtrrt, tine
di,iO(; tvptdtir} npug x^iporoyiay vwohai^oyov »*/ huKorov »*/ irpeajivTipov,
ovTog f-iri^cifiMg KwXviaBco Im ToiovToy (iaOnoy ififtiftu^eadai, yafXETt}
(TvioiKiiy vof-ti'iJo)' f^n'iTS fxt)y iy tm rj/t xtiporovia : Kuip^ airaircladti)
ofioXoye'iy, cue uTro(iT)'iiTiiTai aTro rf/c vofiifiov Trpig Tijy ointiay y«^£-
Ti/y ufiiXiag' 'tya /u») iyTevOty Tuy Ik Qeoii iojuo0£r>;0£'v7a kuI tvXo-
yr)8iyTa Trj avTov Trapovffiif, yujxoy Kadvjipiiiuy tKfiiaadw^tev' Tfjg
TOV EvayytXiov (pm'fjg ^oionrjg, "A o e£OG k, t. X, Kal tov tnroaTuXov
BiSutTKoyToc, Tifiioy Toy yitjMy Kal Ti}y KoiTi]V ufiiayToy, Kal, Aiceaai
yvvaiKi, ^i) 'Cnru Xvmv. "\(Tf.iey ?£, uxTnep kuI oi iy KapOayiyn
fTvrtXfUn'reg, Tfjg iy ftif fnfiy6Tr}Tog Twy XeiTovpywi Tii)if.itvoi 7rp6-

•212

suid, providing for tlio (loconiiii of tlio life of tlioso
who ininistor, tlmt accor(lin«( to their peculiar rules
subdojicons who hantUc the holy mynteries, an«l
deacons and priests, refrain from tlieir wives. Hut
tliat we also may equally guard what has been
handed down from the Apostles, and sanctioned by
anti(juity itself, knowing that there is a time for
every thing, especially for fasting and j)raycr : (for it
behoves those who wait at the altar, during the time
of tlieir taking in hand the holy things, to deny
themselves in every thing, that they may attain what
they ask from God in singleness of mind :) if, tlmrc-
fwc, (my one nhnuld dare, eontrary to the apostoUcnl
canons, to deprive any of those in holy orders, (that
is, priests m' deacons, or suhdeacons,) of their union
and communion with their lawful wires, let him be
deposed : and, likewise, if any priest or deacon shall
put away his wife, U7ider pretence of relirjion, let him be
cd'communicated ; and if he persists, let him be deposed.^''

t'oiuv, t<j)affav, Aare rovg inro^iaKoiovg, rovg rh te()o fivaTt'ipui
\l/ri\a<pii)}'TaQ, kui tovq hiaKuvovQ Kui wpiafivripovq, kutu tovq Ihiovq
(ipovg teal Ik rdv av^^mv eyicpuTevEaOui. "Iva Kai to hia ruiy
airoOToXtov TrapaSoOef, khi iS, air»7c rf/c «p)^a«or»/roc Kpurridev kui
tifjie'ig ci/io/we <pv\a^u}fitv, KUipov itti navruQ iTriariinivot irpuy^xa.-
Tog, Kal fiaXifTTa vr}nrtiaQ kui vpoaiv)(JiQ' (xp») yiip rovg r^ dvaiaa-
Tijpitj) Trpoaedptvuvrag ir t^ Knip^ rfjg tu>v hyitov ixeTa\Etp}'iaeii)g cy-
Kpan'tg clvai tv TraffU', oVwc dvrr]dil)(iiv o irapa rov Qtov awXiog
ahovtTiv kniTv^iiv'^ £t Tig ovv ToXf-n'iaot, irapa rniig ano(TTo\ii;ovg
Kai'dyag Kivuv/jieyog, Tivhg TiJjy liptj^ivwv, TTfjcflr/Jurtpwi^ (pafxev »)
tiUKoywy y inroSdiKoywy, cnrotTTtpi'iy Tfjg vpog rrjy vvjxifxoy yvya'tKa
avya^dag re Kal KOiywriug, KaOaiptiado)' waavTutg Kai e'i Tig irpiff-
fivTtpog >/ SuiKoyog rrjy lavTov yvyulKa nptxpatTti ti/Xafteiug tKlidWit,
a(j>opii^iadii>* iirifiiywv li, Kadatptiadu).

213

of tlioso

iar rules

'rii'H, iiiid

vos. Jiut

has boon

tionod by

timo tor

or : (for it

r tho time

I, to deny

ttain what

:) if, thcrc-

apostoUcnl

(Icr.s, (that

their uninti

Id him be

leacon shall

!, let him be

be deposed.^''

itpo fivari'ipia
irct rove UiuvQ
al TO ^la rCJi'
KpaTJ}div Kai
iit'oi TTp^y^a-

OVC '■y 6l'0'l«(T-

ax£«p/;ff€wc ty-
)V Oeov awXwQ
; anoiTTo\ii;ovQ
'ipit>v (pafiiv f/
jfiifiuv yv^'alKa
:ai t'i Tii irpta-

Since, therefore, it is ho abundantly clear from
this canon, that the whole Eastern ('lunrh strenuously
insisted (m puttinfj nn restrietiou on the infrreotfrse
of the married clenjii luith their wires ; and (i/)/)e(drd
to antif/uifi/ as sanetionint/ their resol/tfion, the con-
clusion to which we naturally come, is, that the
regulation rospoctin<j^ bishops was to avoid some
temptation, to Avhich bishops were more especially
cx[)0sed. Now bishops had tho management of all
the Church goods ; and therefore lay under the
temptation of employing the public money in en-
couraging pomp and luxury at home : and it is, most
probably, with a view to tho scandal arising there-
from, that this rule was made. At all events, we
have a distinct repudiation of any ])rohibition of the
marriage of tho clergy generally, and a distinct denial
that there is any religious reason for abstinence from
matrimonial intercourse, on the part of clergymen of
any class. When, therefore, we find that in their
sixth canon ' they declare, that no clergyman shall
marry after ordination, and that if any one wishes to
marry, it must bo before ho is ordained ; and that by

' Kai'. t'. 'ETTtt^j) TTcipti Tulq aVoTroXicoIc Kavuaiv e'iprjrni,
TiHv cIq nXfipoy Trpoaay^ivtoy t/ya/uw>' fivvovg aVay>'W(Trac kuI
\l/ii\Tag yafiiiv' Koi iifiiii; tovto irupa<j>v\dTToiTEQ, opiiiontf uiru
Tov vvi' fitjEufjitJic vTTohui^ovov *! SiOKOvoy *i TrptffliuTEpoy, fAini
Ti^v iir avrjJ ^^etpororlav, 'f)(^Eiv dceiay eavr^ avviar^v avroiKt-
aiov' £( hi TOVTO ToXfii'itroi Ttoifjirai, i^aOaiptiaOu), EJ Ce jiov-
XniTO Tig TtSv tig KXrjpov wpoEpyo^ivaiv ydfxov vufio) avydiTTEffdai
yvyaiKi, irpo Ttjg tov viroSiuKvyov Ti SiciKuyov »*; TrpEaf^VTEpov \Eipo-
Toyiag tovto Trparre'rw.

214

; , ...3

recognizing the so-called apostolical canons, it or-
dains that only readers and singers shall marry after
ordination ; we must distinctly understand that there
was no religious reason for the regulation, but rea-
sons of discipline alone.

The thirtieth canon ' of this council is not very
intelligible. It was not intended as a rule for the
whole Church, but for Churches in uncivilized coun-
tries. It ordains, that if the priests of those Churches
choose by mutual consent to abstain from matrimo-
nial intercourse with their wives, they shall entirely
cease to live with them : and it makes this a con-
cession to their w^eakness and unsettled habits. But
whatever be the object of it, as it was jirofessedly
made to suit peculiar localities, it cannot be regarded
as a rule generally binding, and for that reason may
safely be passed without further notice.

From this time the history of the discipline of the
Church, on the subject of celibacy, may be given in
few words. The canon of the Trullan council still

' Ko>'. \'. Ila'rra Trpog ott^olonijv Tijc eKtcXtjaias ftovXojXEvot
SiaTrpdrreadai, (cat tovq iy rauj fjapftupiKalc tKi;\r]<TiaiQ hpuKj
oivoj'OjUEtv Bieyi>t)Ka^i.v. "Utrre £i tuv dnoaroXiKoy KariU'a, riv
■Ktpi Tov irpo(j)UiT£i £t/Xa/3£t'ae Tt)v oiKEinv yayuED/r yu»; Ek/jctWE'/',
VTriparulDaivEiv dioyrm ^ur, Kal nepa Tuiv opiaQivTbyv irouh'' Ik
rovTov TE jLitrct tu)V oltCElojy (TVfxcpioyovi'TEQ avf-iltiwy, Trig npor;
uWt'iXovQ ofiiXiuQ diriypvTaC op/^o/itti' tovtovc ^rjKETi tuvthii:
(TVPoike'ii' (koQ' o'loi'tt'iTiyci rponov' wq at> iifilv evtevQev evteXii r»/r
VKoa')^E(TEioq irapE^oiEV Ti/v d-!r()dEiu,ii'. IIpoc tovto Ee avro'ig av
Bi dXXu ri, II Std Tt]v tTi<: yywfxyjc fHKpoy\/v)(iav kai to twv yOdy
diTE^EyijJUEyoy kat aVaycf, iyEEitJKafxEV,

21;

)ns, it or-

iiarry after

that there

11, but rea-

s not very
Ic for the
ized coun-

Churches

1 matrimo-
lU entirely

this a coii-
ibits. But
])rofesse(11y
je regarded
reason may

pline of the
be given in
jouncil still

tg ftuvXofiEvoi
XjjffmtG hpiiuj
w K'ai'dra, rov

'T(l}V TTOu'll'' tK

(i)i^, r»)c Trpoc

/iJJKtVt TUVTCllt:

dey evTeXy rijc
) M avTo'iQ oh
.1 TO rwf yOwv

literally rules the Eastern Chureli, Imt the spirit of
it has gradually departed : for although no bishoj)
can be a married man, and consequently the mem-
bers of that order are universally chosen from the
monastic order, celibacy is so far from being encou-
raged amongst the parochial clergy, that it is in
practice absolutely forbidden ; every j)arish ]iriest
being required to be married before he can be or-
dained. So that if any clergyman wishes to con-
tinue unmarried, his only course is to enter a convent.
In the Western Church, as it came more and more
under the influence of Rome, the marriage of the
clergy, and the monks and virgins, was more and
more restrained. Opinion condemned the marriage
of the latter, and at length it was generally visited
with excommunication, until the parties sei)arated.
With regard to the former, they continued more
or less at liberty, until at length, in 1074, Pope
Hildebrand was able to procure a general obedience
to the rule, that all married clergymen should sepa-
rate from their wives, and that all thenceforth to bo
ordained should make a vow of celibacy. But long
before this time it had been a rule in the greater
part of the West, always excepting England, that
no priest should cohabit with his wife, as we learn
from the complaints made by Ratramnus in the
ninth century, and by Leo IX., that the Greeks
not only permitted a married clergy to wait at their
altars, but also put no restraint upon them in regard
to their intercourse with their wives.

CHAPTER VI.

■4.

I HAVE now I think carried this investigation
down to a point, from which wc can with advantage
look back, and fulfil those objects with which I set
out upon my present undertaking.

The two first points I trust I sufficiently cleared
up, in the two former parts of these papers ; namely,
that no corruption of doctrine in regard to celibacy,
and no abuse of practice but such as any divine gift
is liable to, can be traced in the Church in the age
subsequent to the Apostles ; and secondly, that,
(whatever is the real application of the test " semper,
ubique, et ab omnibus ") Mr. Taylor's attack upon it
on this ground is perfectly futile and groundless.
The details into which I have entered, will have
sufficiently established my third position, that what-
ever corruptions came in (and different minds will
appreciate differently their extent and importance)
were introduced gradtialli/, and that gross misconduct
on the part of those who professed celibacy only
appeared in localities where the church at large had
already attained a high pitch of corruption. I will
now direct the attention of my readers more parti-
cularly to my fourth object, namely, to prove that
there was nothing in the teaching of the post-Nicene
age on the subject of celibacy, to justify the awful
charge of apostacy, which he brings against it.

217

vestigation

advantage

,vliicli I set

itly cleared
s; namely,
to celibacy,
divine gift
in the age
ndly, that,
it " semper,
ack upon it
groundless.
, will have
that wliat-
minds will
importance)
misconduct
ilibacy only
it large had
on. I will
more parti-
prove that
post-Nicene
y the awful
ist it.

The ground which is taken is as follows : St. Paul,
(1 Tim. iv. 1 — 3) foretells that " in the latter times
some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to
seducing spirits and doctrines of devils forbid-
ding to marry :" the Church as a body, did, in the
Nicene age, forbid to marry : therefore the Nicene
Church apostatized from the faith.
1 Now here the answer simply is : Negatur mhmr.
It is not true that the Nicene Church, or the Church
of any age forbad to marry. We have seen the
nature of the regulations of the Church in that age.
We have seen that for a long series of years, be-
ginning at some indefinite time before the council
of Nice, it had been a rule pretty generally ob-
served, that no priest or bishop should marry after
his ordination. We have seen likewise that after
the council of Nice, it became a rule that Church
virgins, and afterwards that those who entered ascetic
communities, should not marry. So that the whole
extent of the sin of the Nicene Church (supj)osing
it to be a sin) is, that it forbad marriage to three
classes of persons, who from the nature of the case
must be a minority of the community, every individual
of whom had a pi'evioHs choice in entering those classes or
not. How then can forbidding those to marry mIio
had the choice whether they would put themselves
under the prohibition or not, be construed into for-
bidding to marry ? It is true that in thus arguing,
1 exonerate ^he Roman Church from the charge
which has been brought against it of having this

2\b

mark of apostacy : l)iit this I do rtyoicini^ly. For it
would be a very painful thing to think that so large
a portion of the Christian world, Avas actually apos-
tate ; and equally painful to reflect that the Church
of England had for so many centuries, even since
the Reformation, been holding such a degree of com-
munion with an a])ostate church, as to recognize her
sacraments, her confirmation and her ordination. But
fiH-ther than this. The Church never actuaWy forlictd
the clergy to marry. It simply decreed that those
who did so, should not rise to any higher degree.

These considerations might be sufficient to exone-
rate the Nicene Church from so grave a charge.
But who can have failed to observe the perpetual
anxiety of writers and councils to show that in
advocating virginity, they had no intention of for-
bidding marriage ? Do we not remark that even
its most ardent patrons take express care to rebut
the charge as it were by anticipation ? We find this
in the whole chain of fathers. With what colour of
reason then can any one charge them with for-
bidding marriage? Does not even Ambrose go out
«.f his way to speak in favour of marriage?

But what if there was from time to time in the
Church or out of it, a sect of persons who did
actually declaim against marriage m all casrs, and
dissuade men nniversallij from it, as a device of the
enemy of mankind ? What if those same men did
likewise command to abstain from flesh as the pro-
duction of the same evil being? What if the

tri

-Jh)

y. For it
it so large
lally apos-
he Church
3ven since
ee of com-
ognize her
ition. But
ally forbad
that those
degree,
t to exone-

a charge.

perpetual
)\v that in
;ion of for-

that even
re to rebut
Ve find this
at colour of
1 with for-
h'osc go out
?

time in the
ns who did
I cases, and
evice of the
me men did
as the pro-
/"hat if the

Church at various times condeniTicd these doctrines,
and excommunicated those who held thorn ? What
if these things are evident ujjon the face of the
documents which every one must consult who wishes
to ascertain the state of the Nicene Church? What
then becomes of the judgment or competency to
reason from facts of the person who talks of the
" ascetic apostacy of tlie Nicene Church ?" And yet
these are all facts. Some of the Gnostics, the Bogo-
mili, and the Eustathians, forbad to ma'ry, and
conunanded to abstain from meats, as esteeming
both abominations. The Council of Gangra (a.d.
370) condemned these doctrines; and the fifty-first
of the A})ostolical Canons, which were authority at
all events in the post-Nicene Church, whatever they
may have been before that j)eriod, expressly deposes
and excomnuniicatcs those who abetted them'. I
trust I have sufliciently refuted the figment of the
" ascetic apostacy."

CHAPTER VII.

I NOW come to the last portion of my undertaking,
and that which I feel to be the most difficult. In
that which has gone before, all that has been requisite,
was to have a sincere desire to ascertain truth,

' See likewise pages 491, 202, 212.

1' 2

2'2i)

. -J

sufficient 'Hligencc to seek for it, leisure and oppor-
tunity of consulting books, and ordinary cai)acities of
reflection and arrangement. In that jiortion M'liich
remains it will be requisite to view other times in
part with the eye of one living amongst the actors
in them, in part with that of a person acquainted
with the real condition of things in our own age ; so
that we may have no misunderstanding of the real
nature of things then, and may know what we are
doing when we draw comparisons between both.

In order to understand the real state of any
particular question as connected with the ancient
Church, it will be necessary to have some idea of
the general condition of it, at its particular ])eriods.
Now it is obvious that so long as apostles and
inspired men, and such as had associated familiarly
with the apostles, remained in the Church, one great
instrument by which the true spirit of the Gospel
was kept up and transmitted, would be personal
sympathy. Persons would have seen and dwelt
with those who were, as far as human frailty admits,
perfect specimens of the spirit and temper of Christ,
and thus they would have imbibed the same spirit,
each in the degree in which he was capable of it, by
imitation and the contagion of a good example. The
characters of such men would have an authority
about them, which nothing subsequent could have.
Ignatius, for instance, who had conversed with
several apostles, Polycarp, the disciple of St. John,
and Irenaeus, the disciple of Polycarp, must have had

ti^

221

1(1 oppor-

meitios of

oil Mliich

times in

;he actors

cquaiiited

n age ; so

f the real

at we are

both.

e of any

e ancient

le idea of

ar ])eriods.

ostles and

familiarly

, one gr(?at

the Gospel

? personal

md dwelt

Ity admits,

of Christ,

ame spirit,

le of it, by

nple. The

I authority

ould have.

srsed with

St. John,

;t have had

a more vivid idea and feeling of what the spirit of a
disciple of Christ ought to be, than their successors a
hundred years afterwards : for, in addition to all the
helps those successors had, they possessed living ex-
amples, who had derived their spirit from the fountain
head. I will not pretend to determine how long that
influence might continue : but it is evident that in a
generation or two it would be extinct, and that all
Christians would be left to gather the spirit of the
Gospel from the Scriptures, and by the ordinary
means of grace, and the conduct of ordinary Chris-
tians, just as we have to do at present ; with the
additional disadvantages of not having the Scriptures
so constantly in their hands as we may, and of being
surrounded with a grossness, in the heathen amongst
whom they lived, of which we have no conception.

Whatever therefore was not matter of necessary
doctrine, or embodied in positive institutions, would
be in great danger of becoming corrupted, and of
course the Christian spirit could rarely be seen in its
perfection. The efforts of what has been called
7iatural piety would have to be regulated by the Scrip-
ture ; and independently of the working of the
Divine Spirit, the true Christian temper could only
be kept up by an intimate and constant acquaintance
with the Scripture : whilst the aid of the Divine
Spirit would have to be sought in the use of the
ordinances of religion, and in the exercises of private
devotion. And only in proportion as the true Chris-
tian temper was kept up, would true principles pre-

22-2

■ 14,
23.

vail in the Church, or voluntary institutions of any
kind rest upon a proper basis.

These remarks will, T think, be seen to have an
application in the case of religious celibacy. It
has been in all ages, and with whatever abuses,
either really or professedly an exertion or working
of natural piety. In the commencement of it, and
in those persons who kej)t up the credit of it, it
would be really so : in subsequent times, and in
others, only professedly. But, like fasting, it was
never made the subject of a divine command; it
was only regulated, and the true notion and spirit
of it indicated by the gos])el ; i. e. to m by the
New Testament. It is remarkable therefore that,
down to the time of the Council of Nice, we hear
of no appeal whatever to tradition on the subject of
celibacy, and even then only to this extent, that the
priesthood were expected not to marry after ordi-
nation. And as the account we have of this
council, in which this matter is mentioned, is not
earlier than a d. 423, that is a century after the
council itself, there are considerable doubts whether
we have the exact words of the S])eaker; whether,
in fact, the refraining from marriage after entering
the priesthood was at the time of the Council of Nice
an ancient tradition, or merely an established cus-
tom. But whatever be the case in regard to this
point, Ave never find the advocacy of celibacy in the
early writers made to rest u])on tradition, })ut always
upon Scripture. All Tertuliian's notions on the

223

IS of any

) liavo an

.'ley. It
r abuses,
workiiiij^

)f it, and
of it, it
s, and in
!"•, it Mas
inland ; it
and spirit
/.v 1)V the
fore tiiat,
?, wc hoar
8ul)jcct of
t, that the
after ordi-
3 of this
led, is not

after the
;s whether
; wlietlier,
r entering
L'il of Nice
lished cus-
ird to this
)acy in the
l)ut always
18 on the

subject rest upon Scripture, or his deductions and
M reasonings from Scripture. It is from Scripture

tliat he draws his notion of the angelical nature
li of a single life; it was from Scripture that he

reasoned to the comparative imi)urity of marriage.
It was from Scripture again that others, and finally
the Church at large, settled that it was heretical to
attach the term im])urity to marriage. We have
found one of the interlocutors in Methodius taking
this ground, and Ambrose and Augustine, who of
j all the Church writers, are most full and most syste-

matic on the subject, rest all their statements u])on
Scripture. The angelical excellence of virginity, its
superiority to marriage in the abstract, its excellence
as a means of detaching ourselves from the world,
and training ourselves for heaven, the regarding
marriage as a state of comparative imi>erfection and
weakness and worldiy-mindedness, the propriety of
married persons refraining from matrimonial inter-
course, and esj)ecially if the husband happened to
be a clergyman, the bindingness of the vow of celi-
bacy, and the sin and impurity of marrying after
having taken it, are all deductions from Scripture,
and deductions so natural from the passages aj)pealed
to, (independently of inference from others, or of
experience,) that it can never be wonderful that any
set of persons should have drawn them ; and it is
only wonderful that no Protestant sect should have
arisen, taking them for their ground. Indeed, once
grant the j)roj)riety of the vow of virginity, and the

'224

;:3

•" 't

.J-

propriety of makin<^ that vow to the Church, and
all the rest naturally follows. The celibacy of the
clergy is only another form of the vow : for no one
is compelled to be a clergyman.

It is true that the considerations I have pointed
out in the first part of these papers, would lead to
the conclusion that to take such a vow was i)lacing
one's self under an unnecessary snare ; but how have
tvc learnt to reason in this way ? Is it in any other
way than hy experience f Has not the experience of
the evils of compulsory celibacy, as it once existed,
led us to search out and discover wherein lay the
error of former reasonings from Scrijiturc ? I3ut that
experience the ancients do not appear to have had,
at least generally. In here and there a jdace some
mischief arose ; but an abuse does not j)rove the
evil of the thing abused. Besides they saw great
and remarkable good arising from the practice of
professed celibacy : and, if we may judge from the
language of the early writers, good, for many gene-
rations, far surpassing the occasional evil. What
then should lead them to question the propriety of
the vow? They knew that God had encouraged
vows under the Old Testament ; witness the Naza-
rites' vow, and the Rechabites' vow.

It may perhaps be asked, why the reserved and
cautious language of St. Paul did not teach the
fathers more caution. But that very language sup-
plied them with an argument to neutralize any such
hint, even when they felt it. " He refrains," they

225

lurch, and
icy of the
or no one

iro pointed

d lead to

^as ] (lacing

how have

any other

lerience of

30 existed,

in lay the

J3ut that

> have had,

place some

j)rove the

saw great

practice of

) from the

nany gene-

•il. What

)ropriety of

encouraged

the Naza-

served and
teach the
guage sup-
e any such
ains," they

say, " from ])res8ing celibacy, because of the wenk-
ness of the new converts: but if he hud lived in our
times, when faith had been longer cstablisliod, and
was become stronger, he would have felt no such
scruples ; but would have encouraged it to the
utmost. He showed his wishes; he points out his
difliculty. We have not the same difliculty now.
Many voluntarily undertake it; aiul what evil arises?
Is there any but what every good thing is attended
with ? Are there some who do not keep their vow?
And so may not any vow be broken? Nay are there
not fewer who break the vow of celibacy, than there
are who break the vow of marriage? Are there
some who kee]) it hypocritically? But is not every
virtue liable to false j)retenders ? Are there some
who make virginity every thing ? But is not that
an abuse to M'hich every virtue is liable? People
naturally value themselves upon that in which they
excel others, until they have foui.d out the evil of
spiritual pride."

And supposing any one of us had lived then, Mith
our present notions, but without our experience,
what could we have said? Should we lave said,
" You put a mere corporeal abstinence, no where
commanded, in the jdace of real holiness ?" " Nay,"
they would have replied, " we only regard it as a
means to an end. We do not deny that holiness
may be attained in matrimony; but we think it may
be more easily attained, or that a higher degree of
it may be attained in celibacy. You must allow that

2-20

St. Paul oxprossly points out that worMIy niindod-
nc'MH is fi|)t to adliorc to inarria^j^o, and wliatcvcr
clu'rislu's worldly uiindcduoss, must of courso clicck
holiness of spirit. Besidos what critorion of a sys-
tem can you |)roposo bettor than the fruits of it?
And on the whole, are not the celibates the most
exem|)lary of the Christian body ?"

Supposing wo urged St. l^aul's clioicc of marria<j;e,
or rather the choice made by (jlod himself of it, to
signify the mystical union between Christ and his
Church : they would reply perhaps, " Yea, wo grant
all this. It shows what married persons ought to
asj)irc to be. It shows, as we contend against tlie
heretics, that there is no real impurity in marriage
itself; but that is not the question. We take
things as they are. And what are the facts? Is
marriage generally speaking chosen for holy ends ?
Is it not with most persons at best a weakness, a
self-indulgence ? Did you ever hear of any one
choosing marriage for the sake of self-denial ? Did
you ever hear of any one marrying in order to live
more to the Lord than he could in celibacy, unless
indeed his temptations on the side of the flesh Mere
strong, and he thought it better to marry than do
worse ?"

And what, in those dnj/s, should we have had to
set against this ? We might have reasoned and
prophesied ; and we might have reasoned and pro-
phesied rightly, as Tertullian in one res})ect did.
But we could not have had the advantage which we

227

ly iiiiii(l(Ml-

I whatcvoi'
ursc cliock

II of II sys-

Viiits of it?
8 tlio most

)f iTiarriagc,
L'lf of it, to
ist and liis
s, wo ^rant
IS ouglit to
against the
in marriage
VV^o take
I facts? Is
holy ends ?
weakness, a
of any one
jnial ? Did
rder to live
bacy, nnlcss
D flesh were
irry tlian do

lave had to
asoned and
3d and pro-
'es})ect did.
re which we

to show that

have !iow, of r.rpmrn

Scriptnre, and our anticipations of the vllininlr con-
seqnonces of tims exalting virginity, were right.
For instead of its being the fact that the worst
consecpiences of tlie vow wore constantly appearing
1 in the early Chnrch, there is no evidence that those

■ evils ever appeared till the Church (»f Carthage
became very corrupt, and the majority ready on the
first persecution to apostatize : nor is there any
snflicient evidence that they came forth subse-
quently, unless contemporaneously with general
corruption arising from other causes.

Similar remarks may apply to asceticism, whether
practised in a solitary life, or in societies. The
whole of the ascetic rule was built u])on Scrijjture ;
wrongly a])plied, we say. But what was there to
show with convincing evidence to the solitary or the
monk, that he was wrong in selling all his goods to
give to the poor? or in keeping under his body and
bringing it into subjection in that j)articular point?
or in labouring with his hands the thing which was
good, that he might have to give to him that
needeth, instead of working to support a wife and
children? or in spending all his leisure time in

■ reading the Scrii)tures or psalmody, or devout medi-
tation or prayer ? Why was he to feel himself bound
to associate with his neighbours further than was for
their direct good, either temporal or spiritual ? Why
might he not retire from temptation, and content
himself with securing his own salvation, without

228

riskinpf it altogether by remaining in the Morld ?

ever

And why might not those who were similarly

vie\A

minded associate together for mutual encourage-

poin

ment, and mutual profit, and especially to secure

alii

that daily joint devotion which the Church at Jeru-

impj

salem had in its best days, but which in the Church

time

at large was fast fading away? "How do we know,"

tiali

they ujight say, " but these societies may be the means

the

of preserving that earnest piety which now appears

give

to be rapidly departing from the Church at large ? "

and

We might have rejoined : " This sounds very well,

matt

but somehow or other your religion does not ap])ear

to us Scriptural." But they might have replied.

beei

in ■)

" AV^e do not know how this is : but can you show us

advc

■.4
'1

any set of persons who study the Scriptures more

J sinc<

^1 *««'

than we do, or who bring forth better fruits of

autl

piety?" 1

of re

If we replied again : " But you are too formal,

(altl

not sufficiently spiritual, building up a righteousness

una^

of your own, without sufficient dependence on God ;"

it u]

they might still answer, " Our aim in retiring from

and

the w^orld has been to avoid temptations to pride,

doul

and to cultivate a nearer and closer communion

have

with God." But I have the less wish to dwell upon

volu

•

this branch of the subject, because in referring to

choi

the life of St. Antony in Mr. Newman's " Church of

fessi

the Fathers," I am sure I shall give a high treat to

this

every dispassionate person, to every one who wishes

take

to see what may be said on the opposite side of the

by h

question to that which Mr. Taylor has taken ; to

virgi

the world ?
•e similarly

cncoiirage-
y to secure
rcli at Jcrii-

the Church
D we know,"
)e the means
now appears
at large ? "
ds very well,

not apjiear
ave replied,
you show us
ptures more
er fruits of

too formal,
ighteousness
ce on God ;"
retiring from
ns to pride,

communion
3 dwell upon

referring to

" Church of
high treat to
) who wishes
; side of the
,s taken ; to

229

every one who wishes to see the ancient Church
viewed hi a sj)irit of love and sympathy for it;-' good
points, instead of one of cavil and exaggeration of
all its bad and doubtful ones. That jNIr. Newman is
impartial I do not pretend to say ; because at his
time of life and with his decided principles, im])ar-
tiality is impossible ; but that he lias chosen to look
the difficulties of Antony's history in the face, and
give us the reflections of a sincere, and thoughtful,
and highly gifted mind upon them, is no light
matter.

But, although without experience, we might have
been unable to make any great imj)ression upon the
advocates of asceticism, the experience of centuries
since that time, enables us to speak with much more
authority. The first evil which arose in the practice
of religious celibacy was the imblk'ity of the profession
(although without any vow) coupled with the honour
unavoidably attached to it. This led persons to take
it up from a love of distinction, and from vain-glory ;
and these, of course, could not adhere to it. No
doubt in this state of things, many were supposed to
have taken up celibacy from religious motives, and
voluntarily, M'itli whom it was scarcely a matter of
choice : and thus scandal m ould attach to the pro-
fession which' did not properly belong to it. But
this alone did noc continue to be the case : a vow
taken before the bislioj), and a solemn consecration
by him, succeeded ; and from that time the Church
virgins became a class, the individual members of

230

-I-

"14

wliich wero asoortai liable, and capable of being
brought under Church censures for any impropriety
of conduct. Accordingly, it was made a fault,
punishable by penance, to associate familiarly with
persons of the other sex, or even to live in the same
house with unmarried men. But marriage was not
forbidden ; and thus they might, if they chose, es-
cape penance by marrying. But opinion rose on
the subject of the marriage of consecrated virgins.
It was considered that the vow was made to God
and the Church : marriage was a breach of the vow ;
therefore marriage itself was spiritually an adultery,
and was to be punished. This caused the former
evils to increase, rather than diminish. Every shift
was tried to indulge passion, and yet to escape cen-
sure. For this state of things two remedies were
attempted; one, not to peimit persons to dedicate
themselves till a somewhat mature age, the other, to
confine them in convents. The former, however,
does not seem to have prevailed at all extensively,
at least not in the west ; but the latter was tried in
all the various degrees of rigour, of which the case
was capable, until the nuns were debarred from ever
leaving the walls of the convent, or ever speaking to
a person of the other sex, excepting their religious
adviser. Whether this was effectual or not, would
of course depend upon the strictness or easiness of
the governing i)erson, and upon the general wish to
preserve the vow. But experience has shown that,
when either the superior was lax or unprincipled, or

231

) of being
impropriety
:le a fault,
liliarly with
in the same
ige was not
sy chose, es-
ion rose on
ated virgins,
lade to God
of the vow ;
an adultery,
[ the former

Every shift

escape cen-
medies were

to dedicate
the other, to
or, however,
I extensively,
was tried in
hich the case
ed from ever
r speaking to
heir religious
•r not, would
or easiness of
neral wish to

siiown that,
principled, or

whore any considerable number of the nuns became
tired of their vow, any breaches of it whatever were
possible ; and the most frightful profligacy might bo
carried on, and the most awful crimes committed,
under the profession of superior sanctity.

In the Eastern Church the history of virgin celi-
bacy is not so clear : but the impossibility of enforc-
ing it seems at length to have led to the cessation of
all efforts for the purpose, or the profession itself fell
into desuetude : so that, if I mistake not, female
convents, or professed virgins, are in that portion of
the Church now unknown. They are now so far in
the same condition as ourselves ; not exactly as the
primitive Church ; for in that virgins had a distinct
and useful function, viz. that of deaconesses. But as
that institution, from change of manners, is alto-
gether become obsolete, so all experience shows the
wisdom of leaving virginity to the voluntary choice
of individuals, bound by no vow, unshackled by any
profession ; at liberty to marry whenever it may
appear desirable, but honoured in celibacy, if their
works show that they devote their state to God.

The history of the celibacy of men is somewhat
different. It does not appear to have taken any
definite shape in the time of Clement of Alexandria,
and Tertullian ; nor were those who practised it
known by any definite tokens. Towards the time of
the coiuicil of Nice, however, they appear to have
adopted something like a regular habit, and to have
united with celibacy religious retirement, discipline,

r;3

■••14;

232

und voluntary poverty. To all this there could bo
no objection, further than to the si)irit of fanaticism,
or of Pharisaism mingled with it. But, as amongst
the ignorant and zealous, there will always bs fanati-
cism, so it was better to have some outlet for it in
connexion with the Church, than to drive it to form
schisms. Not to say that the ascetic virtues were
always a lesson to the mass of the Church, to teach
them visibly that the world can be forsaken, that
riches are not coveted by all men, that there is some-
thin fj more exalted than a refined self-indulo^ence.
For many of the recluses were men of substance, who
had forsaken all literally for Christ's sake. Many
of them were men of refined minds and polished
manners, who showed that these qualifications may
be united with poverty and solitude. At the time
of the council of Nice, things were in a state of
transition from the eremitical to the monastic state ;
and in the time of Basil, and under his patronage
and of the other great lights of the Church, monkery
was ripened into a perfect system ; the direct vow was
added, and the breach of that vow was made penal.
Still there were many who merely professed a single
life with relio'ious ends ; and of this class were those
whom St. John Chrysostom so sarcastically describes
as busied in female toils, like the race of Frencli
abbes before the revolution. This latter class has
never become totally extinct, though much dis-
couraged after the rise of the conventual system,
which was no doubt in some respects an improve-

233

3 could be
fanaticism,
as amongst
s be fanati-
!t for it in
it to form
irtues were
L'b, to teach
saken, that
3re is some-
-indulgence.
►stance, who
ike. Many
nd polished
cations may
it the time

a state of
lastic state;
s patronage
ch, monkery
ect vow was
made penal.
5sed a single
I were those
ly describes

of French
3r class has

much dis-
tual system,
an improve-

ment upon the eremitical and solitary, as it bound
men to a certain discipline : but it exists to this day
in the East. The conventual system has branched
out into various rules, according to the will of vari-
ous founders : but all experience has shown that no
rules, nothing in short but voluntary zeal and piety
can ever keep a body of men pure and useful ; and
consequently that binding men to continue in a
body, the institutions and habits of which go to deny
them lawful indulgences, must lead and always will
lead to the vilest enormities in men of one character,
and to mere indolent uselessness in those of another.

The exf ri.ice of ages then goes to confirm the
positions with which I set out; viz. that both in
men and in women celibacy should always be left
entirely voluntary; that those only should be en-
couraged to adopt it, who are disposed to devote
themselves to the service of God in some work of
piety ; that, in case of any person mistaking his voca-
tion, he should be allowed to reth*e without reproach
or remark, and endeavour to serve God in the lower,
but easier and safer path of wedlock: easier 'nd
safer, I mean, as far as actual gross sin is concerned,
but, as a road to perfection, more arduous and more
difficult.

Nor is the case altered in respect to the clergy.
In the history of the Niccne Church we find, co-
existent with clerical celibacy, rules against allowing
any females but near relations to live with a clergy-
man ; and what does this show but that evil was at

234

■■: J

least feared? And indeed docs not Jerome's lan-
guage show that, even at that time it was fre-
quently realized. It took many ages, however, before
it was thoiiglit necessary for a clergyman, after ordi-
nation, to abstain from matrimonial indulgence ; and
still more before absolute celibacy was enforced.
The ground taken for the former was, that, as it
was the duty of the clergy to preach abstinence from
carnal indulgence, they should set an example of
what they preached. It is to be remarked moreover
that there is no one period we can fix on, when
complete abstinence was binding throughout the
Church. For a long time it was not enforced in
the East. When it appears to have been enforced
there, it was not established in all parts of the West,
especially here in England. And w i again it was
established here, the eastern Churches I'ad gone
back, and ceased to enforce it on the clergy at large.
Moreover the absolute celibacy of the clergy, viz.
that they should not be married at all, has never been
the rule or practice of the universal Church, but only
of those Churches which are under obedience to
Rome. But the enforcement of it in these Churches
has led to excesses and positive vice on the part of the
clergy which are unknown elsewhere. All through
Spain and in considerable portions of Italy, Switzer-
land, and Germany, it is extremely common to find
that clergymen, although not suffered to marry, habi-
tually keep concubines. And although in countries
where Protestantism j)revails, nothing ho openly gross

235

•ome's lan-
■j was fre-
>ver, before

after ordi-
jence ; and
I enforced,
that, as it
iience from
3xaniple of
[I moreover
: on, when
iffhout the
jnforced in
m enforced
f the West,
gain it was

l?ad gone
gy at large,
clergy, viz.

never been
jh, but only
jedience to
ie Churches
} part of the
A.11 through
ly, Switzer-
mon to find
iiarry, habi-
in countries
)penly gross

is seen, yet, to those who have had an opportunity
of looking below the surface, there can be but little
doubt that the obligation to celibacy renders the
clergy unsafe to the morals of the female portion
of their congregations. The obligation is not one of
God's appointment; it is never even hinted at in
Scrij)ture : and the attempt to enforce it must always
produce great evils.

The utmost we can do is to take away discourage-
ments to it, to encourage those who are willing to
remain in that state, to point out the evils likely to
arise from clergymen of confined incomes entering
upon the married state, and the advantage to the
Church for peculiar purposes of having some of her
ministers bound bv no worldly ties; to give the
honour which is rightfully due to those who choose,
for the sake of other men's souls, or to avoid
worldliness of mind, to forego the comforts and
enjoyments of the married state. But beyond this
we caimot go. No slur ought to be cast upon those
who choose to marry prudently. No attempt ought
to be made to affix a distinction on the unmarried,
simply as such. No encouragement, but rather posi-
tive discouragement, should be given to vows of
celibacy. They are a snare upon the conscience,
and nothing more. Every sufficient end of them is
answered by a continued voluntary endeavour to
adhere to a well considered resolution ; which we
are better able to keep, in such a case, without a
vow than with one.

Q 2

23G

But

although all experience shows that vows or

'4
4<

public declarations, or professions of porjietual celi-
bacy, are dangerous, there aj)pear8i.o sufficient reason
why those who choose to remain in celibacy, whether
clergymen or others, should not associate themselves
together in communities. There can be but little
doubt that many persons of a social turn of mind
are driven or beguiled into marriage, mIio have to
repent of it all their lives after, by no other circum-
stance than the want of suita])le society. A j)erson
of refined and studious mind cast into the midst of a
community of tradesmen will find nothing congenial
to his habits amongst the men ; and however duty
may lead him to associate with them, ho will seek
for solace and repose from the other sex. But if
such a person were a member of a society, whose
professional habits were the same as his own, with
the individual members of which he might find the
same refinement and love of study as in himself,
to whom he might unbend and feel at home, he
would at all events be able to look at marriage vvitli
a more unprejudiced eye, and, if ho did ultinuitely
marry, wait for a congenial com})anion and suitable
outward circumstances. There need be no vow in
such communities ; all that would be necessary would
be that the members of the society should be unmar-
ried, as fellows of colleges are, so long as they con-
tinued to belong to it.

There is another cause of diflTiculty with some of
the clergy, besides the want of congenial society;

237

[it vows or
ictual CL'li-
ient reason
y, whether
themselves

but little
n of niiiid
10 liavo to
ler circum-

A ])erson

midst of a
^ congenial
vvever duty
3 will seek
,'X. But if
ety, whose

own, with
^ht find the
in himself,

home, he
rria^e with

ultimately
lid suitable
no vow in
:isary would
[ be unmar-
as they con-

itli some of
ial society;

and that is the insufficiency of their incomes,
especially in populous and increasing i)laces, where
churches are rapidly raised without the possibility
of providing any adequate provision for the clergy-
man to whose pastoral care and teaching the people
are to be committed. Now societies of clergymen,
living in one common dwelling and eating at one
common table, appear best calculated to remedy this
deficiency. The very existence of boarding-houses
and club-houses, shows that the combination of
small incomes can produce comfort for all the in-
mates, which none of them could enjoy without such
combination.

There is another advantage attached to club-
houses which might be attached to societies of
clergymen, I mean that of libraries and the ordinary
vehicles of ephemeral information. A society can
provide for its united members a library far surpass-
ing what any of them could obtain separately.

And when such a society existed, I know not what
objection there could be to allowing any unattached
clergyman to join it. lie would be kept in the
society which was most fit for ii'm, out of the way
of the ordinary temptations which deteriorate the
characters of men without definite employment. A
facility of reference to books would foster or
engender a love of reading. He would be ready
to render occasional assistance to his brethren ; and
he would be at hand to occupy any new station for
which a settled pastor had not been provided, or could

238

not V.e i)rovi(led. (Itlier inmates may at some future
O-.y be found in the under masters of training and
gramm.ir schools.

Tliese are mere hints of the probable utility of
such societies. And that the obligation of celibacy
fio Inufi as persons continued members of them would
be productive of no serious injury, the example
of our colleges sufficiently shows : for whatever
instances of immorality may at any time have been
found amongst the fellows, the same or greater
might have been found in ordinary society.

I return to notice other deductions from this
whole discussion.

How remarkable is it that all the errors of the
ancient church on this subject have arisen, not from
any following of primitive tradition, but from the
exercise of private judgment in the interpretation
of Scrij)ture ! With regard to the celibacy of the
laity there does not exist, I believe, a single trace of
any endeavour on the part of ancient writers to
build it upon tradition.

The exaggerated ideas which successively arose,
are one and all built upon and supported by indi-
vidual reasoning upon texts of Scripture. The
Church indeed, in one instance ' appeals to the
combined authority of Scripture and tradition ; on
another ^ to tradition alone : but it is remarkable

' At the council of Gangra. See p. 151, 2.
' At the Tmllaii council. See p. 210.

'i30

[)ine future
aiuing auil

3 utility of
of celibacy
^Itern would
e example
whatever
have been
or greater

from this

rors of the
[1, not from
t from the
;erpretation
bacy of the
^le trace of
writers to

ively arose,
3(1 by indi-
ture. The
als to the
idition ; on
remarkable

that ill both cases it is in favour of moderate <loc-
trines, and against exaggerated ones. The wholt!
ascetic system is [)iofessedly founded upon private
interpretation of Scripture. It was supposed that
the Church had grown to a power of doing
what the apostles would have enforced if they
could : and therefore the advocates of asceticism
are confessedly advocates of institutions increas-
ing in strictness with the increasing cai)abilities
of Christians. From the nature of things then
the Nicene doctrines and practices could not bo
derived from tradition. They pnjsupposed the im-
perfection of the Apostolical Church.

The only doctrine we can trace from age to ago,
is that virginity is a voluntary thing, is a gift and
grace of God, is in some respects su])erior to mar-
riage, is to be honoured in those who maintain it
with the ordinary Christian graces and virtues, is
not to give occasion to pride or vain glory in those
who have it. That doctrine we can trace from age
to age in all the great writers of the Church, and
that doctrine is either that which I have derived
from Scripture, or in strict accordance with it.

There is one other lesson which I cannot refrain
from pressing, and that is the great y?\\xe o^ primitive
unbroken tradition. On this particular pc nt it is not
primitive tradition that is at variance with Scripture
and experience, for they are supported by it. It is
the supposed improvements of a later age. If my
inquiry had had no connection with the defence of the

240

rsirly Cliurcli, T sliould liavo iii)|)ealo(l to tradition at
once in supi»oit of my view of Scri|»turo, and tlio
appeal would have been sustained. Tradition tliore-
fore has its value even in such a case as this. But
how much more value has it in cases in which there
can be no doubt of the meaning of its voice : where
from the beginning, and from age to age, it has been
one and uniform.

r
<

>i
■J

- j:

THE END.

Oii.BK.RT & IliviNGTON, Printers, St. John's Square, London.

:m(lition at
o, niul the
tioii tlioro-
tliis. But
vliicli thoro
ico : where
it lias been

London.