scribe, in order to his being received into the communion of the Church. Gottefchalcus rejected the offer with indignation. He refused to retract to the last; and was denied Chriftian burial, by the orders of Hincmar.

year A.D.

This is all that I can find material concerning Gottefchalcus. That he was an humble and fincere follower of Christ, in the main, will fcarce be doubted by thofe, who make a fair eftimate of his conftancy in fuffering, and at the fame time reflect, that no moral turpitude is affixed to his memory. Even in that age there wanted not men, who remonftrated loudly against the barbarity, with which he had been treated. Remigius, archbishop of Lyons, diftinguished himself among thefe; and, in a council held at Valence, in Dauphiny, in the 855, both Gottefchalcus and his doctrine were 855. vindicated and defended. Two fubfequent councils confirmed the decrees of this council. The Churches of Lyons, Vienne, and Arles, formerly renowned for piety, vigorously supported the sentiments of Gottefchalcus; and it was apparent, that all relish for the doctrines of grace was not loft in the Church. It is very extraordinary, that the cause of Gotteschalcus fhould prove, in the end, victorious, while he himself remained under the power of perfecution. But the great fecular influence of Hincmar, who for near forty years prefided at Rheims, and made himself highly useful to kings and princes, feems to account for this.

It would be uninterefting to detail an account of the writings on both fides, which were published on the occafion of this controversy. One leffon the cafe before us is peculiarly calculated to teach, namely, not to condemn any perfon for confequences, which others may draw from his doctrine, and which he himself both speculatively and prac 24 tically

tically difavows. This injuftice was never more flagrantly committed, than in the tranfactions, which we have briefly reviewed. Of Hincmar, much information indeed is left us in ecclefiaftical ftory; but I do not feem to have any more employment for him in this work, than I have for the princes of France and Germany of that period. It is not hard to form, on the whole, fome eftimate of the ftate of religion at that time in France. The fpirit of Chriftianity was much decayed; but there were, doubtless, a number of perfons, to whom Chrift and his grace were precious: and the influence of evangelical truth was ftill fo ftrong, that all the cruelty, activity, and artifice of one of the most fubtil politicians of that age, for fuch was Hincmar, were not able to extirpate it.

СНАР.

CHAP. V.

THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL IN THIS
CENTURY

N this century the Churches of the east and weft began to be separated from one another, through the pride and ambition of the pontiffs of Rome and Conftantinople. Of fuch a divifion, which makes a great noife, in what is commonly called ecclefiaftical history, it is fufficient for an hiftorianof the Church of Chrift, to say, that the wound, after repeated attempts, was never healed. Both the eaft and the west, indeed, were full of idolatry and darknefs, and feemed to vie with each other in supporting the kingdom of Satan. Providence, however, made use of the ambitious spirit of the prelates for the still more extenfive propagation of the Gofpel. In this chapter I fhall collect the information upon this fubject, which may be extracted from an enormous mass of ecclefiaftical rubbish; and, at the fame time, fhall lay before my readers fome evidences of the progrefs of the good work, among the nations, which had been, in part, evangelized in the two laft centuries.

Conftantine, afterwards called Cyril, was born. at Theffalonica, of a Roman family, and was edu- A.D. cated at Conftantinople. In 846, the famous 846. Photius, who by much iniquity, at length, obtained the bishopric of Conftantinople, envying Ignatius, at that time bifhop, difputed in oppofition to him, that every man had two fouls. Being reproved by Cyril, he faid, that he meant not to hurt any one, but only to try the logical abilities of Ignatius.

"You

"You have thrown your darts into the crowd,” faid Cyril," yet pretend that none will be hurt. How keen foever the eyes of your wisdom be, they are blinded by the fmoke of avarice and envy. Your paffion against Ignatius has deceived you." Cyril indeed feems to have been as much fuperior to Photius in piety, as he was his inferior in learning: he became one of the most active and ufeful miffionaries of this century; and Providence opened to him a door of folid utility among the idolatrous nations*.

The Bulgarians were a barbarous and favage people, whofe neighbourhood had long been troublefome to the Greek emperors. The fifter af their king Bogoris, having been taken captive in a military incurfion, was brought to Conftantinople, and there received Chriftianity. Upon her redemption and return to her own country, he gave a strong evidence, that her change of religion had been more than nominal. She was ftruck with grief and compaffion, to fee the king, her brother, enflaved to idolatry; and she used the moft cogent arguments in her power, in order to convince him of the vanity of his worship. Bogoris was affected with her arguments; but was not prevailed upon to receive the Gofpel, till, a famine and a plague appearing in Bulgaria, fhe perfuaded him to pray to the God of the Chriftians. He did fo, and the plague ceased. There was fomething fo remarkable in the event, that Bogoris was induced to fend for miffionaries to Conftantinople; and at length received baptifm, together with many of his peoplet. Cyril and his devout brother Methodius, were the inftruments of these bleffings to the Bulgarians. Bogoris had defired Methodius to draw him a picture. Methodius chofe for his fubject the laft judgment, and explained

* See Alban Butler, Vol. XIL

+ Porphyrogennetus.

plained it. This is fuppofed to have induced the king to receive baptifm. The event happened a.d. about the year 861*. That fame pope Nicolas, 861. who fo warmly applauded the fanguinary exploits of the empress Theodora against the Paulicians, rejoiced at the opportunity, which this religious change among the Bulgarians afforded him of extending his influence. He fent bishops, who preached and baptized throughout the country: and Bogoris fent his fon to Rome, with many Lords: he confulted the pope on a variety of subjects, and intreated him to fend paftors into Bulgaria. Nicolas rejoiced, fays Fleury, not only on account of the converfion of the Bulgarians, but the more, because they came so far to feek inftruction from the holy See. They had, however, though attended with many fuperftitions, the word of God, and the name of Chrift introduced among them. The Saviour, in fome fenfe, was preached, notwithstanding that pride and finifter motives predominated altogether in the Roman See; and St. Paul, in fuch a cafe, would have faid, "I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice." Nor is there any reason to believe, that all the miffionaries would be no lefs corrupt than the pope: on the contrary, we cannot doubt but the word was not preached altogether in vain. These transactions a.d. took place about the year 866. 866.

About the fame time Cyril, and his brother Methodius, miffionaries among the Bulgarians, laboured also among the Sclavonians and the Chazari§. These people lived on the banks of the Danube, and begged the emperor Michael III. and his mother Theodora, to fend them fome inftructors. Cyril and his brother Methodius were fent

Fleury, B. L. 49.

See Alban Butler, Vol. XII. ↑ Philip. i. 18. § Fleury, B. L. 54.