the Ecclesiastical Canons upon his return he staid in the Suburbs and would not enter into the City much less into the Church till he was compelled by the Emperors commands and by the clamours of the people and withall being perswaded by the suffrage of fifty Bishops that were then with him he performed his Ecclesiastical Function and that that Canon which was alledged against him was made by an Arrian Council in the Cause of Athanasius and here it seem'd a very hard measure was offered to Chrysostom that by that Emperor who commanded his return and forced his preaching a Council should summon and condemn by an Arrian Canon The Council was resolved to satisfie their own indignation and the Empresses rage Chrysostom must be banished Chrysostom must be deposed the sentence is again pronounced against him the Emperor brings his Army into the City But Chrysostom that the people nor Court nor Army might be in danger delivers himself again privately into the hands of the Souldiers who carry him into Banishment Their noble extraction entituled The great Charity of Basil and Chrysostom them to great Revenues Basil was the Eldest Son Chrysostom the only Son of his Parents and being both raised to great Dignities they had opportunities of treasuring up a large Estate but their great Souls could not be confined by Riches Chrysostom at Antioch distributed his Estate amongst the poor Basil retained a great part of his Estate till after he was Bishop When there fell a great Famine in Caesarea which threatned the consuming of most of the Citizens this occasion this wise person took to shew his liberality for he sold all his remaining Revenue to which he laid the Revenues of his Metropolitical See by this example and most powerful preaching he wrought so upon the Nobility and Gentry of Caesarea and the rich Citizens that they brought to him vast sums of money which he so disposed on that he brought a plenty into Caesarea he so husbanded his Bank that the Markets of the City were constantly furnished with provision Chrysostom when he was banished and in perpetual fears through the rude and barbarous Nations yet received such a supply from his Friends at Constantinople and other places that for the Fatherless Widows Captives and other distressed people he had a continual supply Many Captives he redeemed multitudes of other persons he furnished with necessaries that in his greatest extremity he thought it his highest duty to convert the liberality of others to him into charity for the furnishing of others with necessities They both of them in their respective Sees built Hospitals received Strangers and indeed performed all acts of charity to all sorts of persons So much they partaked of the Divine nature that they seemed wholly to be made up of goodness and bounty by which means the very Jews and Pagans had them in very great Honour and Reverence Basil took the highest care for the Their great Labours for the peace of the Church preservation of the Churches peace against the Arrian Hereticks his labours were indefatigable and having with the assistance of his beloved friend Gregory Bishop of Nazianzen notwithstanding the power and fury of the Arrian Hereticks quietly settled the Churches in Cappadocia O Cappadocia made odious by those proverbs which rendred the Inhabitants the most wicked people in the World now became glorious by the great profession of Christianity which was made illustrious by three Bishops the best Scholars and holiest persons in the Universe thus the glory of Christianity turns the Briars of the Wilderness into the Roses of Sharon He then betook himself to the establishing of the Churches of the whole World he travelled into Armenia and into the adjacent Countries of Cappadocia the Western Churches enjoyed a great tranquility under a Catholick Emperor To the Bishops of Italy France and Spain he wrote Letters representing the calamities of the Eastern Churches imploring their Aid The brave Bishop of Millain St. Ambrose gave him his greatest assistance and with the Divine goodness and eternal Providence notwithstanding all the persecutions of Valens the Emperor and all the oppositions of the Arrian Learning and Arms could make against him Cappadocia was preserved as a Virgin not spotted with the errours of those times Chrysostom so earnestly endeavoured the Reformation of the East that the remotest parts of them were happy by the influence of his piety and learning He undertook for the expelling of Hereticks a journey of some months into Asia he sent some of his Presbyters to convert the Goths in which they had a noble success He reformed the Churches of Armenia and Palestine he maintained an union with the Western Bishops and receiving an Edict from the Emperor to destroy the Idolatrous Temples in Phaenicia with a command to the Lords of the Emperors Treasury for the delivering of money to defray the expences for that imployment he accepted of the command and refused the money Out of his own Purse and with the charge of other Noble Persons he performed the Emperors Edict without the Emperors expences So these great persons like the Caelestial Luminaries emit an happy influence to those Churches which are far distant from them The great inclination that Basil had The Calumnies and slanders cast on them to Disputations and the vast love he had to Learned men was the occasion of casting many slanders on him In his Sermons against the Arrians his enemies that came to hear him more to carp then to learn would snatch away some passage that might seem to savour of the Sabellian impiety Preaching at other times against the Sabellia Heresie some sentence would drop from him which his Adversaries would wrest to Tritheism In the Eucharistical Benediction with which he concluded his Sermons having alter'd the Prepositions in and by though that mutation was approved of in many Churches of the East and used by the most Catholick Bishops of the World yet his impudent enemies carried away the clamours and impetuous noise of Arrianism and Eunomianism which defamations being spread abroad alienated the affections of many of the Eastern and Western Bishops from him Those wicked revilers by their most desperate slanders had so changed the affections of the Citizens of Neo-Caesarea to whom he was very much endeared by his first education that all the Protestations of Basil to the contrary all the Pathetical Letters he wrote to them could hardly reduce them to better thoughts of him How strange is it that a person who in all his Writings in all his Sermons in all his Actions nay who vindicated himself bravely from the aspersions of any indiscreet language which might seem to justifie the calumny of his enemies yet should be believed to be a great friend to those Heresies which he made the whole design of his life to overthrow Yet here was Basils felicity that his beloved Gregory was his defence perpetually and the Churches of Cappadocia constantly entertained the honour for him
is no wonder his passions were so by assed when his Judgment was so imposed upon Theophilus gathers a great company of Bishops together and there all those Bishops which the severity of Chrysostom or the Arts of his Adversaries or all the powers of the Court could make met at a place called the Oak in Constantinople and summoned Chrysostom to appear before them He refused and with the highest reason for what Authority had the Alexandrian Bishop over the Bishop of Constantinople or with what Authority or reason could they celebrate a Council in Constantinople without the consent of Chrysostom Arch Archbishop of Constantinople Chrysostom sent two of his Presbyters to that unlawful Convention of Bishops and acquainted them that their actions were destructive of the Churches peace contrary to the Ecclesiastical Canons and that he refused not to answer any crimes laid against him but he rejected an usurped power and therefore appealed to a General Council They still persist in their determinations upon his non-appearing At the fourth summons they pronounced a sentence of his deposition which being divulged in the City filled them with rage and indignation The whole City is in an uproar here the very Children and Women cryed men raged all hastened to the Cathedral and Palace of Chrysostom whom they detained all night which was pass'd in Prayer and Preaching They could hardly be filled with a greater sorrow and amazement if an Enemy had been sacking their Town then they were at the apprehensions of the loss of Chrysostom but Chrysostom uses all his Eloquence to perswade the people to peace and to behave themselves with all Reverence and obedience to their Religious Emperour O brave mind provoked to excellent actions by injuries and oppressions So Chrysostom retires to his Palace where for some space he keeps himself reserved and would not come to the Church and now Constantinople seems to be in a perpetual night no joy in that City where their brave Preacher was wanting Theophilus seeing the affections of the People for Chrysostom and the rage against him fears an attempt upon his Person the like possest the rest of the Bishops who wisely to prevent any danger leave the City and hasten to their respective Sees Chrysostom receives a message from the Emperour to retire into Exile that the Souldiers were ready to convey him into the place designed for his banishment who fearing his publick departure might occasion an uproar and endanger the Person of the Emperour and Empress privately delivered himself into the hands of the Souldiers and so unknown to the City was carried into Exile But as soon as ever the fame of his Banishment was spread the people were struck with rage and fury the Women and children run with the greatest passion to the Emperors gate and there they begg'd and cry'd for Chrysostom the men assembled in numerous companies nothing in this City but confusion here a company would cry what Judgments waited upon that City which was unworthy of Chrysostom others violently railing at the unlawful proceedings of the Bishops that deposed him So pitiful were the complaints so dangerous was the insurrection that Arcadius had no other means left him to quiet that tumultuous City but with a promise of a speedy restauration of him Whereupon he immediately dispatched Burso an Eunuch of the Empress with special commands to bring Chrysostom back to Constantinople He finding him at Prenetum over against Nicomedia brings him back to the City where he was received with all imaginable expressions of joy No City reduced to the greatest extremity by a potent Enemy besieging it could be more filled with the highest joy at a seasonable succour and relief then the Constantinopolitans were at the return of Chrysostom Their Acclamations were so loud their expressions of content so various and great that Chrysostom's satisfaction for his return was lessened by the immoderate honour they did unto him But he staid in the Suburbs and would not enter into the City nor go into the Pulpit till he was legally absolved till his cause was legally heard and he himself found innocent But this gave no satisfaction to the people they must see Chrysostom in the Church they must hear him preach Whereupon they so pressed upon Arcadius that he forced Chrysostom into the Pulpit and there to pray and preach which he performed In his Benediction they thought themselves all blessed his Prayers they concluded would pierce the Heavens and his pious Eloquence convey them to glory And this course for some months to the infinite content of the Citizens he continued But over against the Church called Sophia one of the miracles of the World the place where he usually preached the Statue of the Empress made of Silver with a rich Mantle over her head was erected before which Plays and Interludes were celebrated Chrysostom looking upon this as a dishonour done to Almighty God dehorts the people from such courses in a great vehemency maintains the dignity of the Divine Service with a torrent of the richest Oratory against Plays and Interludes that it was an inexpressible indignity to Almighty God that the Acclamations and noise of Plays and Interludes should be heard in the Church where Halelujahs are sung to God and so a disturbance be given to the Priest and holy people that wait about the Altar Which Sermon coming to the Empresses ears the fire of her rage which lay smothered under the ashes of dissimulation broke out into an open flame against him so that she openly threatned his second deposition which he receiving in great passion enters the Church and there makes that so famous Sermon which thus begins Herodias still dances Herodias still rages Herodias is still filled with indignation Herodias yet seeks for the head of John in a Platter At which the Empress was so incensed that she would hear of no entreaty for a reconciliation with Chrysostom But immediately sends for Theophilus Archbishop of Alexandria the old and sworn enemy of Chrysostom to summon a Council at Chalcedon there to hear the crimes laid against Chrysostom who justly refused to appear affirming that he kept himself within his own Palace with the company of fifty Bishops of excellent Piety and Learning who spent their time in prayers and tears No crimes in that Council were objected against Chrysostom only he was charged that contrary to the Ecclesiastical Canons he had preached not being absolved and restored to his Church For in a Council at Antioch it was decreed that if any Bishop was deposed he should not be restored to any Ecclesiastical Dignity except the number of Bishops that restored him exceeded the number that deposed him To which Chrysostom made this reply that his deposition was unjust unlawful and in it self null and that for fear of those inconveniences which might follow a popular tumult he voluntarily retired into Exile that he had not returned but by the Emperours command and for fear of the least transgression of
That there could be no pretext of reason that she should endeavour the consuming of a Sacred Aedifice when she had spent vast sums of money in the building of many but neither a great Fine laid on her nor the Tortures she then endured could any whit diminish her affections to that Excellent Preacher but afterwards having liberty given her by the Emperour she retired to Macedonia and there in solitude and Piety spent the rest of her most glorious life Some attribute the Fire to the favourers of Chrysostom but certainly the Tortures and Racks that were inflicted on them would have extorted from one or other a confession however they who in all their actions discovered that they had rather die then sin would not have persisted in a notorious lie Others attributed it to a Miracle as thinking without praeternatural power the flame could not out of the Throne catch the roof of the Temple and without a Divine designation could not have flown over so many houses of the City and at such a distance prey only upon the Senators Palace To deny the more peculiar and miraculous operations of God is an unpardonable Blasphemy but to believe every narration is childish credulity and to make every thing that seems strange to require a supernatural cause argues ignorance and superstition It seems the most probable that the Heathens were the occasion of that conflagration that there might be an occasion given to the Heathen Governour to inflict all sorts of punishments upon the Christians For under the pretence of carrying Chrysostom into Banishment and to disperse the Christians conventions they seized upon the Church and so might justly be reputed the Authors of that fact Chrysostom being banished Arsatius aged 80 years a man of no Learning nor Eloquence the meanest and silliest person succeeds the greatest and most Eloquent person in the World Every where the Christians and Religious persons meeting Chrysostom received him with all kindness filled the Air with these Acclamations Let the Sun rather cease to shine then not Chrysostom preach In his journey to Armenia the place designed for his banishment he met with extraordinary difficulties oft-times in danger of the Isaurian Robbers The Souldiers that guarded him had in Commission that they should tire him with continued Journeys for he was reduced to great weakness and mightily obnoxious to Feavers by reason of his great Austerities But at length they arrived at Cucusum where the Bishop of that place courteously received him and had the happiness of peace and quietness To him there resorted many of his Friends from Constantinople out of Armenia Syria Asia Cappadocia and the Countries bordering upon the Euxine Sea Most of the Letters which are extant in his Works which are brave Monuments of his Piety and Learning were written in the time of his banishment But the fame of his admirable piety in those his great afflictions daily increasing and the love of the City every day hastening towards him caused the Emperour to prohibit any commerce of Letters with him The time of his banishment he continually spent in Prayers and Preachings if his Guard permitted him any liberty of rest The People from the bordering Nations and remote Countries undertaking the dangerous and tedious Journeys to hear the Eloquence of this great Person That person or Court to whom the The Appeals of these Fathers to the Church of Rome last Appeal is made is unquestionably invested with a supreme Authority Bellarmine de Rom. Pont. lib. 2. cap. 29. argues for the Roman Primacy from Appeals averring that it was the custom of the Universal Church to tender her final Addresses to the Roman Bishop which must necessarily prove that the Church did acknowledge the Roman Bishop to be her supreme Head he takes no cognizance of Basils Embassie to the West but allegdeth Chrysostoms Letters to Innocent Baronius ad An. Dom. 371 372 doth endeavour to maintain the Papal Primacy from the Letters of Basil to Damasus then Bishop of Rome Barbosa a late Canonist 2 distinct caus 10. quest 3. cap. Cuncta per mundum this boldly blasphemes He asserts 'T is an errour in the Faith to say that an Appeal lies from the Pope to God himself For when the supreme Priest is the Vicar of our Lord Jesus here upon Earth his Consistory is the same with that of Christ they therefore think Heretically who believe that they may Appeal from the definitive sentence of the Pope to Christ as though the Tribunal of Christ and the Pope were not the same Who wonders at the impious confidence of Parasites Lipsius a Romanist abhorred such sentiments when the Master of the Hospitallers was by the instigation of Philip the Fair of France condemned to be burnt by Pope Vrban he made his Appeal to Heaven and cited them both to appear before the Tribunal of Christ within the space of a year in the compass of which time the Pope and French King both died to give an account as Lipsius thinks of their cruelties and injustices before the great Judge of the World Lipsii Mon. Pol. I intend not a full discussion of this Topick but clearly to manifest that neither of these Fathers acknowledged the Papal Supremacy Basil never directs his Epistles to the Roman Bishop but to the Western Bishops Transmarine Bishops or to the Bishops of Italy and France The occasions of which Epistles was the Persecutions and great disturbances that the Eastern Church suffered by the fury of the Arrians Whilst the Western Church flourished in prosperity and peace the inscription of one of his Epistles is thus To our Brethren and Bishops in the West How can it be imagined if this great man believed the Papal Supremacy that he would so direct his Letters We charge the Romanists with Innovations they require the time in which those Innovations were introduc'd they charge the Greek Church with Schism we may enquire when that Church acknowledgeth the Roman Jurisdiction and when the Schism of Greeks commenced Basil when the East was so dreadfully tormented by the Orthodox Bishop was chosen by reason of the greatness of his Learning and fineness of his Pen to be their Secretary at whose instigation he in their names wrote to the Western Bishops and sent three several Embassies to none of which he received any answer this neglect cast him into a just passion in his Letter to Eusebius Bishop of Samosatum he thus writes What help can be expected from the superciliousness of the West for they neither know the truth nor will endure to learn it for being possessed with false prejudices they act the same things they formerly did in the case of Marcellus by their ambitious contending against those which publickly maintain the truth they themselves give a confirmation of Heresie I my self do intend to write to the chiefest of them but not in usual manner in the name of my fellow Bishops I will not mention any thing concerning Ecclesiastical affairs only I
not possibly think that an Appeal to Rome was necessary since upon the account before-recited he refused to appear at Pera withall he Appeals to a General Council he acquainteth Innocent that he was not guilty and could wholly free himself from those crimes laid to his charge but that he would not appear before incompetent Judges an unlawful Judicature which consisted of his professed and implacable enemies but that he would appear before a General Council where in the presence of 1000 Bishops he could manifest his Innocency By which it is evident he Appealed not to Rome but addressed himself to the Western Bishops that as much as in them lay they would endeavour that a General Council might be called before whom he might appear all grievances redressed and Peace to the Church restored And that it was not an Appeal to Rome appeareth by the Epistle it self for though the title be to Innocent Bishop of Rome yet in the body of the Epistle we find that he addresseth himself to the Bishops of the West whom he calls most Reverend and most Holy Bishops Farther to evince that the Greek Church did not acknowledge the Roman Primacy we must attend to what Phocius averrs Innocent saith he laboured much on the behalf of John but all in vain he fent his Apocrisarii who were injuriously treated and scornfully sent back and what prayers so ever he used were to no purpose The persons to whom the Letters and Messengers of Innocent were sent were undoubtedly the Emperour Theophilus and the rest of the Holy Bishops If so this fact must needs manifest the opinion they had of the Roman Primacy That neither St. Basil nor St. Chrysostom did believe the Roman Primacy the case of Miletius and Paulinus evidently declares Miletius was thought to be an Arrian he was Bishop of Sebastia in Armenia Eudoxius the Arrian Bishop of Antioch being dead he was by the Arrians translated from Sebastia to Antioch then in every City of the East every Sect of Christians in it had its peculiar Bishop when Eudoxius governed the Arrian Church in Antioch the Catholick Christians had Eustachius for their Bishop The Antiochian Arrians hearing that Miletius was a person of a singular life and of very great Eloquence and that he was once of the same opinion with them they judged that the opinion the World had of this Person would be a means to draw to their Party the Inhabitants of Antioch There was so great a same of him that when he came to Antioch multitudes of persons went out to meet him both those which were followers of Arrius and those that were adherers to Paulinus When he came first to Antioch he preached publickly the moral Duties of Christianity afterwards he publickly taught the Faith of one substance There was then a Synod the Emperour commanded the Bishops to give their opinion After George of Laodicea had most heretically delivered and Acasius of Caesarea had not so blasphemously but not truly and Apostolically delivered his Miletius was commanded to make a profession of his Faith he contrary to the opinions of the Arrians according to the Nicene decree gave his belief with a great deal of exactness and truth upon which by the instigation of the Arrians he was banished Eustachius who from Perea in Syria was translated to Antioch a person famous for constancy soundness in the Faith and Religion was banished in the time of Constantius Paulinus a Presbyter of Antioch governed the Catholick Church in Antioch those of the people that were sound in the Faith notwithstanding the endeavours of the Arrians he retained and confirmed in the Catholick Doctrine The Bishops of the Church that were banished under Julian the Emperour being restored endeavoured to apply fit remedies for the redressing the disorders of the Church Lucifer a Bishop of Sardinia taking to himself two other Bishops ordained Paulinus Bishop of Antioch Miletius being by the Emperour Gratian recalled from Exile went to Antioch to take possession of his See Paulinus though ordained after Miletius would remain Shepherd of his own Flock and Bishop of Antioch Miletius would not forsake that honour which his Ordination conferred on him nor ought he do it for he was pre-ordained and was a person of that holiness that he judged his office of more concern to him then his dignity This was the great calamity that in a City in which there were so many evil opinions to the encouraging of Heresie two Catholick Bishops should contend one with another both were excellent persons both of admirable fame what cause should be assigned of their divisions both of them appeared by Characters given by excellent Historians to be very holy persons the Eastern sided with Miletius the Western Church with Paulinus perhaps there were heats and animosities failings to which retired and severe persons are obnoxious May I give a conjecture which may give some justification of them both Miletius advanced to the See of Antioch by the Arrians themselves when he discovered himself to be of a contrary opinion his Holiness Learning and Eloquence converted many of the Arrians these would never forsake him who was the instrument of their conversion Paulinus after the banishment of Eustachius being constant in the Faith continuing in Antioch administring the holy office to the Faithful he so obliged him that they would never forsake him Withall his adherents were offended with Miletius because he was ordained by Arrians Miletius was of so sweet a temper as he proffer'd amicable terms of reconciliation Let what will be said that can be said in favour of Paulinus Miletius had the better cause and the suffrage of the Western Church in his behalf doth make it fully appear that the Western Bishops refused the Roman Primacy The Roman Bishop and the West took the part of Paulinus the Grecian Bishops and those of the East that of Miletius If that the Eastern Church did believe the Primacy how durst they maintain that Bishop which was not approved by the Roman It was against the Ecclesiastical Canons that two Bishops should be in the same Church and yet there were two Catholick Bishops in Antioch one approved by the Western the other by the Eastern Church Miletius was a man of most singular Piety and of equal meekness he conversing with Paulinus thus bespeaks him When our Sheep are at union they feed in the same common Pasture and we contend about the right of governing of them Let us leave off our quarrelling and live in mutual concord If I die before you be you the only Pastor of the Sheep If God shall call you hence before me then to the utmost of my power and with my greatest care I will govern the Church of God This moderate proposal Sapores one of Gratians Generals who had in command from that Emperour to thrust all the Arrians out of the Churches and to restore the banished Catholicks being at Antioch seeing this dissention and knowing both of them to be Catholicks