CHAP. VI. GENERAL STATE OF THE CHURCH IN THIS THIS HIS may, in a great measure, be collected, fo far as the Latin Church is concerned, from the copious account, which has been given of Bernard. Of the Greek Church hardly any thing occurs which properly falls within the defign of this hiftory. Superftition, idolatry, frivolous contentions, and metaphyfical niceties, attended with a lamentable want of true piety and virtue, form almoft the whole of the religious phenomena in the east. In this chaos of the Church, I can only mention a few facts and circumftances, which may throw fome lights on its general ftate; and they fhall be fuch as have not been confidered in the hiftory of Bernard, nor directly relate to the Waldenfes, whofe affairs commenced in the latter part of this century, but will deferve a distinct narration. Jult at the clofe of the foregoing century, pope Urban held a fynod of one hundred and fifty bifhops, in order to promote the Crufades, and exhorted the Chriftian world to concur in fupA.D. porting the fame caufe. He died in the year 1099 1099, and Jerufalem was taken by the crufaders in the fame year*. The pale of the vifible Church was extended by the conquefts of the western warriors, and feveral epifcopal Sees were again formed in regions, whence the light of the Gospel had firft arifen to blefs mankind. But these were of fhort * Baronius, Cent. XII. fhort duration; and, what is much more material to be obferved, while they continued, they gave no evidence, that I can find, of the fpirit of true religion. This is a circumftance, which throws a very unpleafing fhade on the whole character of the fanatical war, which at that time agitated both Europe and Afia. I have exculpated the western Chriftians from the charge of pofitive injuftice in undertaking it; in every other light it deferves much of the afperity of the cenfure, with which modern authors in general agree to treat it. Among a thousand evils which it produced, or at least encouraged, this was one, namely, that indulgences were now diffufed by the popes through Europe, for the purpose of promoting what they called the holy war. These had indeed been fold before by the inferior dignitaries of the Church, who, for money, reinitted the penalties impofed on tranfgreffors: they had not, however, pretended to abolish the punishments, which await the wicked in a future ftate. impiety was referved to the pope himself, who dared to ufurp the authority, which belongs to God alone. The corruption having once taken place, remained and even increased from age to age, till the time of the reformation. It is needless to fay, how fubverfive of all piety and virtue this practice must have been. That the Romanists did really promote this impious traffic, is but too evident from their own writers*. Hence the ftrict propriety of St. Paul's reprefentation of the man of fin, AS SHEWING HIMSELF THAT HE IS GOD, is evinced; hence, the characters of thofe, who oppofed This * See Mofheim, Cent. XII. p. 595. Qu. Edit. Morinus, Simon, and Mabillon, are the popish authors, who are not afhamed to vindicate this fyftem of iniquity. + 2 Theff. ii. opposed the power and doctrine of popery in those times, receive the most ample vindication, and hence the merit of the reformation itfelf may, in a great measure, be appreciated. I only add, that the whole difcipline of the Church was now diffolved, and men, who had means to purchase a licenfe to fin, were emboldened to let loose the reins of vice, and follow, at large, their own defires and imaginations. Nor were thefe evils compenfated by fome other circumstances, which tended to promote the revival of learning in this age. Gratian, a native of Tufcany and a monk of Bologna, made the faA.D. mous collection of canon laws, and publifhed them 1151. in 1151. His work was much facilitated by the A.D. discovery of the pandect of the emperor Juftinian, 1137. which took place in 1137*. Ecclefiaftical caufes were henceforward tried by the canon law. The degrees of bachelor, licentiate, and doctor, degrees mentioned by no writer before the time of Gratian, were instituted by pope Eugenius III. the difciple of Bernard, to encourage the study of this science. But they were foon after introduced at Paris by Peter Lombard, who was called the mafter of the fentences, and were bestowed on students of divinity, as well as of law. For Lombard was fuppofed to have performed the fame service to divinity, which Gratian his contemporary had done to law. Paris and Bologna, the former in divinity, and the latter in law, were now looked on as the greatest feminaries in Europe. In this revival of learning, our own ifland alfo bore a part. The university of Oxford, which had been founded in the time of Alfred, and had fuffered much from the ravages of the Danes, came to a confiderable degree of eminence * Mosheim, Cent. XII. p. 567. Vol. VI. p. 69. Du Pin, Cent. XII. in Bower's lives of popes, A.D. in this century. The learning, as well as the impiety of the Continent, paffed into England, and we shall shortly fee a dreadful inftance of the effects of both appearing in the univerfity laft mentioned. For while the real word of God was generally neglected, and the falutary doctrine of the Gofpel was buried in darkness, the literary improvements of the times might fharpen the intellectual faculties, but could produce no benign effects on the manners of mankind. To finish this brief detail of the progrefs of learning, I fhall add, that Cambridge had begun to be a feminary of learning, fome little time after Oxford, but in that view had been quite oppreffed by the incurfions of the Danes.-It revived, however, in fome degree about the year 1109, when Giflebert, with three other monks, 1109. was fent by the abbot of Croyland to his manor of Cottenham, near Cambridge. These monks went every day to Cambridge, where they hired a barn, as a convenient place for public lectures. One read grammar in the morning, a fecond read logic at one o'clock, and a third, at three in the afternoon, gave lectures on rhetoric from Tully and Quintilian. Giflebert himself preached on Sundays and other holidays. The barn was foon found infufficient to contain the auditors; and, therefore, accommodations were provided for the labours of thefe men in different parts of the town. Such is the account which Peter of Blois gives of the infant ftate of learning in the university of Cambridge. The laudable paffion for intellectual improvement was ftrong in this century. In the room of the fathers fucceeded the fchoolmen, whofe theology was founded by Peter Lombard. A metaphyfical fubtilty pervaded their inveftigations, and they were idolized by the ignorant, among whom should be ranked the nobility of that age, almost as much as the plebeians. The human mind, however, by exercise recovered a new tone and vigour; but learning could not communicate grace, nor even enable men to fee the folly of enflaving themfelves to the popedom. The influence of the bishop of Rome grew prodigious: the emperors of Germany trembled under the rod; and fome of the braveft and wifeft of the English princes were found unequal to a conteft with the hierarchy. But to dwell on these scenes, would be to forfake the path of Church-history. There Where THEN was the Church of Chrift, and what was its condition? In the general appearance of national religion fhe was not to be discovered. God had, however, his SECRET ONES. might be, and probably there were, in vulgar life, various perfons too poor and too infignificant to be regarded in hiftory, who feared God and ferved him in the Gospel of his Son, but whom an humble ftation in fociety fecured from perfecution. There were alfo here and there fome of the reclufe, who practifed fomething better than fuperftition. The ftory of Bernard has given us an illustrious inftance. In the weft, we have feen alfo the state of the Cathari, who formed religious focieties among themselves. These increafed exceedingly, and affuming a new name much better known in the latter part of the century*, were exposed to the unrighteous indignation of the then reigning powers, both in church and ftate. The account of this perfecution will demand our particular attention, when we come to the next century. Thus the Church of Chrift had a real existence in the weft, and fhone as a light in a dark place. In the east it is extremely difficult to discover the leaft veftiges of genuine piety. It is probable, how Waldenfes. ever, |