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A28607
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The history of Athanasius with the rise, growth, and down-fall of the Arian heresie / by Nathaniel Bacon, Esq.
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N. B., 1598-1676.
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1664
(1664)
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Wing B350; ESTC R10044
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126,487
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235
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with the differences concerning these opinions and that concerning Easter-Day although as yet they held communion together have now gotten the ball on their foot and resolve to carry the same some upon grounds of judgment or opinion others out of faction so as now no course is left but to endeavour to settle the minds of men by way of a general Council of the Churches throughout the whole Empire For as by the conviction of teachers the errors of the learners will soon pine away so the joynt conclusions of many of such teachers assembled in Council will soon put to naught the private opinions of several single persons because every one single wise man will think the conclusions of many such joyned in Council more wisely determined then he alone can do his own private opinion CAP. IV. The Council of Nice and the banishment of Arius BUt the Devil and pride was more predominant then reason in this case Sect. 1. as the event shewed For Constantine the Emperour though he knew it would cost him vast expences yet not regarding that he did call a Council of all the Churches and appointed the same to be holden at Nice a City of Bithinia unto which place assembled all the Bishops of the Empire who had no reasonable cause of absenting themselves besides the Presbyters and other learned men The number of the Bishops were three hundred and eighteen unto all of whom the Emperour gave entertainment at his own cost Euseb Vit Const cap 47. and unto this Council by special message Arius is injoyned to come This entertainment was much for the Emperours honour being of so many and for so long a time for some Writers report that the Council lasted three years others lesse but doubtlesse it did hold for a long time And it was much more for the honour of the Emperor and the Council that there were so many holy men amongst them most or many of whom carried about them the marks of their Religion scars and mutilation of members and dismembrings Trophies of their Profession every one of which carried efficacy with their determinations and brought honour to their persons even in the eyes of the Emperor himself when he beheld them in their Assembly The Emperor at the first entry upon their work Sect. 2. Sec. lib. 1. cap. 5. Enseb Vit. Const cap. 12. made a short Speech testifying his thankfulnesse to God for his victory over all his enemies and for the publick peace of his Empire and for the joyful sight of them in their meeting and exhorting them to preserve peace and unity in the Church of God and purity of Doctrine and holinesse of life And especially he commendeth two things in particular to their care One for establishing one practice of the Church in the observation of the Feast of Easter Euseb Vit. Const cap. 16 17 18. upon one certain day The other concerned the Arian doctrine The first of which the Council happily determined and the same was confirmed by the Emperours edict although the acts of the Council now published make little mention thereof But the second concerning Arian doctrine required much dispute For Arius appeared in the maintenance of his opinions And Alexander the Alexandrian Bishop principally opposed him and with him Athanasius then his Deacon And they produced against him divers of his blasphemous assertions which he had uttered at the Council at Alexandria which also are mentioned by Athanasius The most general whereof comprehending others are as followeth Athan. Disâ—ut cont A an That God was not alwayes the Father That the Son was not alwayes the Son That the Son was made by God of nothing That he was made God by participation of the Deity That He is not the Natural Son of God but his Son by Grace That God foreknowing his Son to be good gave Him that Glory which the Son afterward merited That the Son is not properly that wisdom or word in which God created the World but there is another Word and wisdome in which He made the Son and another proper wisdom or word in which God oreated the World That Christ is not the power of God otherwise then as worms are said so to be That the Father cannot be known perfectly by the Son That the Son doth not perfectly know his own essence That God made not us for Christ but Christ for us Athan. Epist ad Synod That the Holy Ghost is a creature made and renaoves from place to place That the Substances of the Father Son and Holy Ghost are incommunicable each to other That the Trinity is not equal one with another in majesty and glory but one insinitely exceeds the other Some of these the Council of Nice observed out of Arius his book called Thalia Sect. 3. upon the reading thereof at the Council Yet it may be observed that Arius waved his opinion concerning the Holy Ghost because the Nicene Council in the Confession on of their Faith as it was first published so far as appeareth did not enlarge their sence concerning it and besides we find not that the most rigid Arians did assert the same but rather oppose them when as afterward the Macedonians took them up Upon these points therefore that principally concerned the Second Person was the principal debate and as touching them Athanasius was ingaged against Arius in a solemn disputation which is published in Athanasius his Works wherewith I shall not meddle further then to set down the points in controversie Athan. Disput cont Arian as I find them set down by Athanasius wherein first Athanasius delivers to Arius his own judgment in nature of a formal confession of his faith in these words I believe in One God the Father Almighty God alwayes Father and in God the Word the Onely begotten Son of God and that He doth coexist with the Father and is of the same Substance of the Father and is equal to the Father as touching His Deity that He is alwayes present with the Father in all places and contains all things in His Essence and is contained of none as also God His Father is And I believe in the Holy Spirit that He is of the Substance of the Father and coeternal with the Father and the Son and I affirm the Word was in the Flesh This Athanasius wrote in opposition to the Arian Doctrine Sect. 4. and to offer to Arius occasion of declaring his full faith in writing as to each particular which he did accordingly in manner following I believe in God Eternal and in his Son whom before all ages He as God created and made Him His Son and whatsoever things the Son hath those when He had them not He received of God and therefore He is not equal to the Father nor of the same dignity but remaineth a creature and is inferiour to the Glory of God and inferiour to Him as touching the Power of God I believe in the Holy Ghost begotten of
where order should be taken for Athanasius his appearing And accordingly Eusebius and the Antiochian Council in their reply to Julius his Letters did agree thereto and promised to send to Rome their charge against Athanasius with their Delegates to proceed against him And this might be a ground for the Bishop of Rome to send to Athanasius to come to Rome and for the Bishop of Rome at the Council there to hear the Cause and for the Council at Antioch to send their delegates thither and yet no Supremacy hereby vested in the Bishop of Rome over the Asian or Affrican Churches Thus escaped Athanasius to Rome Sect. 3. where he finds Paulus the banished Constantinopolitan Bishop waiting there also for relief as well as himself But as yet whatever the Antiochian Councils letters mention concerning Athanasius his Trial at Rome they proceeded nevertheless to banish him the Emperour also confirming the same This was one illegality Soc. lib. 2. cap. 8. But a second ensued much worse which was their sudden election of Gregory Bishop of Alexandria in the room of Athanasius who was a man altogether unknown both to the Church and Province of Alexandria and yet which was worst of all they being a Council did send him and settle him with a force that brought him in by bloud And all this done by a Vote procured as ill as all the rest Athan. Apol. 2. Epist Jul. Ibid. For whereas their Council consisted of one hundred Votes well nigh yet they could not find forty to agree in this Vote Onely the Emperours Vote concurring put all the rest to silence But such as the work such was the issue for Gregory continued there not long before not onely the Orthodox Christians but even the Arians also were weary of him and for his cruel and bloody entrance and his imperious government Soc. lib. 2. cap. 10. Soz. lib 3. cap. 6. and gluttonish indulgence thrust him out of his government and put in George of Capadocia in his place and yet he also nor St. George neither as will hereafter appear The Council at Antioch having thus done what they can against Athanasius Sect. 4. have one thing more to do For the Bishop of Rome had sorely taxed this Council for siding with the Arians against the Nicene Council unto which neverthelesse all the several members of this Council or the most part of them had subscribed This the Antiochian Council fear will stick upon them for their consciences told them that they had done somewhat that might deserve such imputation and that it would be a shame for so many learned men to be relapsed in a Council and so many reverend Bishops to be reputed disciples to Arius who was but a Presbyter defamed in his doctrine life and death They bethink themselves therefore of a declaration to the Churches Soc. lib. 2. cap. 7. wherein they set forth That they are not faln from the Nicene Faith neither are they disciples of Arius and in witnesse thereof they there make Confession of their Faith A company of fickle hearted Bishops they were They are not faln from the Nicene Faith nor will they own it They will have a Confession of their own and yet will own none They frame a Confession and publish it and then like it not By that time that they are warm in their work of Confession they repent of what they have confessed and confesse anew to this purpose Soc lib. 2. cap. 7. We believe in one God the Father Almighty Maker of All things And in one Lord Jesus Christ His Onely begotten Son God by whom all things are made Begotten before all things of the Father God of God Whole of Whole Onely of Onely Perfect of Perfect King of King Lord of Lord The Living Word Wisdom Life True Light Way of Truth Resurrection Power Door That He cannot be converted nor changed The Expresse Image of the Deity Essence Virtue Council and Glory of the Father The First Begotten of every Creature Who was in the beginning with God The Word by whom all things are made and in whom all things consist Who in the last dayes came from Heaven is born of the Virgin Made Man and the Mediator of God and Man The Apostle of our Faith and Lord of Life who suffered for us arose for us the third day and ascended to Heaven And sitteth at the right hand of the Father And shall come with glory and power to judg the Quick and the Dead And in the Holy Ghost which giveth comfort sanctification and perfection to Believers And the words Father Son and Holy Ghost do exactly expresse the proper Person Order and Glory of every of them so named That they are three in persons but in consent one If any man shall teach ought against the right and sound Faith of the Scriptures or that there is or was a time or age before the Son of God was made Let him be accursed And if any man shall call the Son a creature as one of the creatures or a branch as one of the branches Let him be accursed Many more words they are then in the Nicene Confession and yet not enough They will seem to allow to Christ all that can be desired and heap up many of his titles and might have out of the Text heaped many more And for all this they will not allow Christ all his excellencies He shall be allowed to be before all time Soz. lib. 2. cap. 5. but not coeternal with the Father he shall be Lord of Lord but not consubstantial with the Father If their meaning then be one and the same with the Nicene Confession why then do they differ in words unlesse they intend thereby that people should stick to no one form but to take up any that shall come to hand and thereby swallow down errour more unsensibly Like to many in these late Parliaments wherein much endeavour hath been for a form of Articles of Faith that might be established by Law but little or nothing could be effected The consciences of men have been so tender that they cannot endure any form of wholesome words but like this Antiochian Council they like the Nicene Faith and yet will have liberty to differ from it they will publish one so as they be not bound thereto but be at liberty to change The newes of this new Antiochian Confession coming to Athanasius Sect. 5. made him the more earnest to assert the Nicene Confession and being now to make his defence before the Council at Rome he as was usual in such cases declared the substance of his Faith before the Council so compendiously and with such apt expressions that the Council caused the same to be published for the further clearing forth of the Nicene Faith which formerly had passed abroad variously in regard of the losse of the Original Copy of the Acts of the Nicene Council Basil Epist yet it seems that Athanasius his Confession