were come from Rome*, and brought him the best tidings in the world, eternal life to those who received them, and the endless enjoyment of life with the living and true God. After fome days Ethelbert paid them a vifit; but being apprehenfive of enchantments, he took care to receive them in the open air, where he thought he fhould be fafer than in an house. The Miffionaries met him, finging litanies for their own falvation, and that of thofe for whofe fake they came thither. Sitting down by the king's direction, they preached to him and his attendants the word of life. I cannot produce the smallest extract of the fermon; but that it explained the fundamentals, at least, of the gospel, there feems no reason to doubt. One may form fome idea of it by the king's anfwer, which was to this effect. They are fine words and promifes, which ye bring, but because they are new and uncertain, I cannot afford my affent to them, nor relinquish thofe things, which for fo long a time I have obferved with all the English nation. But as ye are come hither from a great diftance, and as I feem to discover, that ye are willing to communicate to us thofe things, which ye believe to be true and most excellent, we are not willing to disturb you, but rather to receive you in a friendly manner, and to afford you things neceffary for your fupport, nor do we hinder you from uniting all, whom ye can perfuade by preach ́ing, to the faith of your religion. He He gave them a mansion in the royal city of Canterbury, with all neceffary accommodations, and the licenfe of preaching the word. As they approached the city, they fang in concert this litany; We pray thee, O Lord,

*Bede B. I. Ep. 25, &c.

As I write not the history of superstition, but of Chriftian religion, I think not myself obliged to copy all the accounts I meet with in antient records which relate to the former. Juf tice, in the extreme, has been done to them by other writers.

Lord, in all thy mercy, that thine anger and thy fury may be removed from this city, and from thy holy house, because we have finned. Alleluia.

Certainly the human mind was in a debafed and childish state at this time throughout a great part of the world. It had long been finking in its powers and tafte; and while paganilm exifted in the Roman empire, the heathen philofophers and orators appear no way fuperior to Christian authors and paftors in the ufe and cultivation of the understanding. Such men as Gregory and his miffionaries fhould not be compared with Cicero and Demofthenes, but with their own contemporaries; and had this been done by writers who treat them with perfect contempt, the injuftice of that contempt would have appeared. It muft be expected, that the work of divine grace in different ages, will, in its effects and manifeftations, exhibit the complexion and colour of the objects with which it is furrounded. The fubtilty of Satan will not fail to take every poffible advantage of this circumstance, and I can believe that even more fuperftitions than thofe recorded by Bede attended the labours of the Roman miffionaries. In our own times of refinement, evils far more plaufible, but not lefs pernicious, accompany the fame falutary work. I have not, however, obferved any thing idolatrous or otherwife directly fubverfive of Chriftianity to have yet prevailed in any of the fashionable fuperftitions. These things being premifed, let us confider what moft probably was the doctrine preached by Auguftine; I fay probably, fince the wretched narratives from which I draw my information have given no account. That eternal falvation and forgiveness of fin by the blood of the Lamb, was his capital doctrine, feems evident in a great measure from Ethelbert's obfervation of the good news which they brought. I may still more confidently

F 2

confidently say, that his fermon was not a fyftem of moral duties. For how could that be called good news? All the difficulty with Ethelbert was to believe what they promised; the very fame difficulty which strikes all unrenewed minds at the first hearing of the Gospel. And when to this we add what we certainly know of Gregory's fentiments, and confider Auguftine as preaching according to his views, the evidence feems to rife even beyond probability. Ethelbert, a prudent and fenfible prince, though, as yet at least, by no means convinced of the truth of Chriftianity, fees no fufpicious mask in the language and conduct of the preachers. The air of genuine fincerity is fimple and above the poffibility of imitation. Candid and intelligent minds perceive it almoft intuitively. The king of Kent could fee no selfish motive that was likely to influence thefe men. They spake with an earnestness that fhewed their own conviction of the excellency of their doctrine, and their defire of profiting their fellow-creatures. Not an atom of gain was to be acquired to the See of Rome: the whole miffion was difinterested. Hence the candid prince was induced to give them countenance; and the Gofpel appears to have been preached, and that with plainness and fincerity, by the miffionaries.

Their conduct at Canterbury was correfpondent to these beginnings. They prayed, fafted, watched, preached the word of life to all, as opportunity ferved: they lived as men above the world: received nothing from thofe whom they taught, except neceffaries: they practifed what they taught, and fhewed a readiness to fuffer or even to die for the truth which they preached. Some believed and were baptized, admiring their innocent lives, and tafting the sweetness of their doctrine. Near the

city

city there was an old church, built in the times of the Romans, in which queen Bertha was wont to pray In this the miffionaries firft held their affemblies, fang, prayed, preached, and baptized, till the king himself being converted to the faith*, they obtained a larger licenfe of preaching every where, and of building or repairing churches. When he himself, among others, delighted with the holiness of their lives, and the precioufnefs of Gofpel-promises confirmed by many miracles, believed and was baptized, numbers crowded to hear, and received the word. The king congratulating the new converts, declared that he would compel no man to become a Chriftian; however he embraced those who did fo with a more intimate affection as fellow-heirs of the grace of life. For the miffionaries had taught him, that the fervice of Christ ought to be voluntary, not compulfive. He now gave to them a fettlement in Canterbury, fuited to their station, with all neceffary accommodations. Auguftine returning into France received ordination, as the archbishop of the English nation, from the bishop of Arles, and returning into Britain, fent Laurentius the prefbyter, and Peter the monk, to acquaint Gregory with his fuccefs, and to receive answers to various queftions. To his enquiries concerning the maintenance of the clergy, Gregory answered, that the donations made to the Church were, by the customs of the Roman See, divided into four portions, one for the bifhop and his family to fupport hofpitality, a fecond to the clergy,

* I hope Bede's expreffion (B. I. Ep. 26.) is true in the proper fenfe of the words.

+ What shall be said concerning thefe miracles? The credulity of that age fhould not lead one to deny all that is faid of them. It was a new scene: Evangelifts were preaching among pagans. Certain it is, that every one concerned in those scenes believed their reality.

clergy, a third to the poor, a fourth to the reparation of churches: that as the pastors were all monks, they ought to live in common, with a remarkable exception, which proves that the abfolute prohibition of marriage, one of the marks of Antichrift*, was not yet enjoined the clergy, namely, that those of them who preferred the marriage-state, might be allowed to marry, and receive their maintenance out of the monaftery. To another queftion which related to the diverfity of cuftoms and liturgies in different churches, the answer of Gregory was liberal; namely, that the new bishop was not bound to follow the precedent of Rome, but that he might select whatever parts or rules appeared the moft eligible, and best adapted to promote the piety of the infant Church of England, and compose them into a system for its use. A number of other questions and anfwers are recorded likewife, too uninterefting to deferve a place here. Yet amidst the childish fuperftition of the times, the enlightened mind of Gregory appears; and his occafional comment on St. Paul's words, concerning the law in his members warring against the law of his mind, in which the bishop understands the Apoftle as defcribing himself to be free and enflaved at the fame time with a double refpect to his natural and spiritual ftate, evinces the folidity of his evangelical knowledge.

Auguftine having intimated, that the harvest was plenteous, but that the labourers were few, Gregory fent him more miffionaries, and directed him to constitute a bishop at York, who might have other fubordinate bishops; yet, in fuch a manner, that Auguftine of Canterbury fhould be metropolitan of all England. Such were the rudiments of the English church. Gregory has been cenfured for being

1 Tim. IV. † Bede, B. I. C. 27.