ORIGIN OF THE SECT OF THE NOVATIANISTS.

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effectually; and the former seeing no prospect of reformation in the church, but, on the contrary, a tide of immorality prevailing, he withdrew, and was joined by a number of the friends of reform. The consequence was that Cornelius, irritated, it is said, by Cyprian, who was similarly situated, through the remonstrances of virtuous men at Carthage, and who was exasperated beyond measure with one of his elders, whose name was Novatus, and who had quitted Carthage and gone to Rome to espouse the cause of Novatianus, called a council, and got a sentence of excommunication passed against the latter. In a little time, the friends of Novatianus formed themselves, or, at any rate, were formed into a church, which invested him with the pastoral office. This example was followed in various places, and Puritan churches were formed all over the empire, and flourished during the succeeding two hundred years. Afterwards, when penal laws obliged them to lurk in corners and worship God in private, they became distinguished by a variety of names, and a succession of them continued to the Reformation.* Among these churches, then, we must look for the kingdom of Christ, and not among those who, while they vilely prostituted his name, had departed from the genius, spirit, and discipline of his religion.

It has been truly said that it is next to impossible to avoid being misled in perusing histories of heretics. They are all written by interested Ecclesiastics, who study to blacken the character of those whom they describe, in the most bitter terms that malice can invent. Novatian (as we should call him in England) is held up by these writers as the first Antipope, because he withdrew from the communion of a corrupt church. The stigma of Antipope is ridiculous; for, at that time, there was no pope in the modern sense of the word; nor, perhaps, for three hundred years after his day! They call Novatian the au

election. He did not, however, long enjoy this enviable post; for he was banished by the emperor Gallus to Civita Vecchia, where he died, according to the common opinion, Sept. 14, 252. Several of Cyprian's letters were addressed to Cornelius; and two from the latter to Cyprian (viz. the 46th and 48th) are still preserved among Cyprian's epistles. Cornelius also wrote a long letter to Fabian, respecting the conduct of Novatian, considerable extracts from which Eusebius has preserved in his Eccles. Hist. Book vi, ch. xliii,

VOL. I.

*Robinson's Eccles. Researches, p. 126.

X

thor of the heresy of Puritanism; whereas Puritanism, or the object for which these reformers contended, was a virtue, and not a heresy. In contending for purity of Christian communion, they were supported by the concurrent voice of the prophets and apostles. Novatian was by no means 'singular in that respect, even in the age in which he lived. Tertullian had quitted the church fifty years before, for the very same reason, and joined the Montanists: and Privatus, who was an old man in the time of Novatian, had, with several more, repeatedly remonstrated against the departures which had taken place from apostolic institution, and, as they could get no redress, had dissented and formed separate congregations, or worshipped God in private. The writers above referred to accuse Novatian of the crime of having given birth to an innumerable multitude of congregagations of Puritans in every part of the Roman empire; and yet he had no other influence over any of them than what his example gave him. The real friends of Christ and his cause every where saw the same ground of complaint, and sighed for relief; and, when the standard of reformation was once lifted up, thousands gathered themselves around it; they saw the propriety of the remedy for a crying evil, and applied it to their own relief. In truth, so far are the charges of heresy and schism brought against Novatian from being well founded, that his memory ought to be embalmed in the recollections of the church for his zealous adherence to the cause of truth and virtue.

Before I dismiss this article of heresy, permit me to lay before you the words of a learned contemporary, which deserve your notice. "I have no doubt," says he, "that many of those termed heretics were genuine orthodox Christians, whose reputation was blackened by those who were supreme in power and consequently thought themselves infallible in judgment. In every age, the enemy of God and man has endeavoured to sow tares among the wheat, and, when he could not adulterate the truth, he corrupted the morals of those who professed it; hence a laxity of discipline, induced or followed by earthly-mindedness, and conformity to the customs and manners of the world, deluged or disgraced the church. But in all those times of error, seduction, and profligacy, there were not wanting men of clean hands and pure hearts, who rose up and bore a faithful testimony

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against such as held the truth in unrighteousness; boasting of an orthodox creed, while their practices were Antichristian and impure. These faithful witnesses were often termed heretics by the reigning party, and, by proscriptions and persecutions, were either driven into exile, or obliged to separate from the church. We know how easy it is to brand those with the name of heretics who separated from a church that was profligate in its manners, corrupt in its doctrines [and lax in its discipline], and of course did not deserve the name of a Christian church; but, having the secular power on its side, thinks itself authorized to do to the genuine followers of God whatever it pleases. Is not the whole system of Protestantism a heresy in the decrees of the Romish church? and, as heretics, have they not been proscribed, banished, and burnt alive? Have not the most absurd doctrines been laid to their charge-doctrines which they never held? Let the Protestant reader think of these things, and then enquire how much credit he should attach to the accounts he meets with of ancient heretics, whether in Irenæus, Tertullian, Epiphanius, Philaster, or others, where the writings of the accused do not remain to speak for themselves."*

But to proceed a clamour was raised against Novatian and the churches in connection with him, on the ground of the severity of their discipline; but this is a point on which it is difficult for us in the present day to form an unbiassed judgment. "He indulged his inclination to severity so far," says Mosheim, "as to deny that such as had fallen into the commission of grievous transgressions, especially those who had apostatized from the faith, under the persecution set on foot by Decius, were to be again received into the bosom of the church." And again, "What peculiarly distinguished them was, their refusing to re-admit to the communion of the church those who, after baptism, had fallen into the commission of heinous crimes, though they did not pretend that even such were excluded from all possibility or hopes of salvation."

Now, taking these two passages together, we shall probably not be very wide of the mark, if we suppose the case to have stood thus the Novatianists said, "If you wish to join any of

:

* Dr. Adam Clarke's Succession of Sacred Literature, vol. i. p. 338, 8vo.

our churches, you may be admitted among us by baptism; but observe that if you fall into idolatry, or vice, we shall separate you from our fellowship, and on no account can you be re-admitted among us. We shall never attempt to injure you, in your person, property, or character; we do not presume to judge the sincerity of your repentance, or your future state; but you can never be re-admitted to the fellowship of our churches, without our giving up the securest guardian we have for the purity of our communion."

It has been said, and the thing is very probable, that the Novatianist churches grounded this rigorous discipline on the words of the apostle Paul, in Heb. vi. 4-6; but how far they were warranted by them to deduce such an inference is a question on which I may not enter in this place, nor is it my business to vindicate or condemn the discipline of these churches. I can both appreciate and approve the object for which they contended, and regard the calumnies of Cyprian and his party as futile and misplaced. The writer whom I have just now quoted (Dr. Adam Clarke) speaking of them says, "Their manners were in general simple and holy: indeed, their rigid discipline is no mean proof of this. We well know that those called Pietists in Germany, and Puritans in England, were, in general, in their respective times, among the most religious and holy people in both nations." The Novatianists in after times condemned second marriages, and held them to be sinful; but this was a sentiment of some of the most eminently pious men in the Christian church. As to another charge against them, that "they did not pay due reverence to the martyrs, nor allow that there was any virtue in their reliques," it must be allowed that, grievous as it may appear in the sight of those who have infected and disgraced the church of God with superstition and idolatry, it was a decisive mark of the good sense and genuine piety of this people, and must raise them in the estimation of all sober intelligent Christians." p. 190.*

* As a specimen of the treatment which Novatian and his friends continue to receive, from our episcopalian writers, even of the present day, I may here produce one instance :

The Cathari separated from the church, and by the instigation of a man of the worst of characters, named Novatus, elected another bishop in opposition to Corne

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Having thus laid before you the origin, or first instance that we have upon record, of dissent from what is called the Catholic church, I shall not pursue the subject further in the present Lecture, but rather take this opportunity of enquiring into the merits of the case, and bringing it to the touchstone of the word of God -the only rule that is given us by the King of Zion for regulating our faith and practice, and that whereby we shall all of us ultimately be judged.

Nothing can be more true than that it has happened to Christianity as it formerly did to Judaism-both systems have been corrupted by the folly and wickedness of men; and this, notwithstanding the plainest and most solemn warnings given by the servants of God to guard against such things. Bear with me while I endeavour to illustrate this important point a little, for your benefit.

If you carefully attend to our Lord's discourses with the Scribes and Pharisees, who were the leaders of religion in his day, you will find how severely he denounced the judgments of heaven against them for having made void the precepts of God, delivered in the ministry of Moses, by means of their traditions. With a view to this fact I only request you to read the twentythird chapter of the Gospel by Matthew, which is quite sufficient for my present purpose. I then entreat you to turn to Deut. xxxi. 24, and you there have the solemn warning which Moses gave their forefathers to beware of departing from the strict letter of the law which, by divine direction, he had given them."And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that

lius. Of the personal character of Novatian, the person chosen, very different opinions have been entertained. This schism and heresy-for so the writers of the day always term it (using these words in their scriptural sense)— -was soon healed at Rome, and its chief promoters returned with contrition to the unity of the church." See a Short History of the Church of Christ, &c. By the Rev. John Fry, B. A. London, 1825.

This representation of the matter, reminds one of an old saying: "All things are yellow to the jaundiced eye." The truth is that neither was this schism ever healed, nor did the promoters of it return to the church with contrition!