doctrines avowedly and earneftly taught by Gregory and his followers were the doctrines of Grace; and though no account of the faith of the Welfh monks is given us, there is great reafon, on account of the Pelagian leaven of our ifland, to fear it was not so truly Chriftian as that of Gregory. That they were uncharitable, appears incontestable from their neglect of the Saxon pagans, and their obftinate refusal to hearken to any advice on that head. And the reader has already had a view of their manners, very different from the flattering account of Galfridus. The extent, however, of the British Church, before the arrival of Auguftine, was fo inconfiderable, that when Gregory planned the hierarchy for this ifland, it is probable he knew little of the very exiftence of fuch a Church. The fault of ambitious encroachment muft, therefore, be laid to Auguftine. Seduced he undoubtedly was, according to the common fuperftition of the age, by an exceffive zeal for uniformity. And that admirable method of uniting zeal for establishments with a spirit of toleration, which was discovered toward the close of the last century, was as yet unknown. The Britons had been independent, and they had a right to continue fo; but I believe, from all appearances, that Auguftine wifhed them to form a connection with the Romans from charitable views.

What could be the meaning of his wishing the Britons to baptize after the Roman manner? This queftion has exercised the critical talents of authors. After all, as baptifm by trinal immerfion was then the Roman mode, this feems to give the most natural account of the circumstance.

The charge of Galfridus, in accufing the Romans of employing the pagans to murder the British, is too abfurd to merit any ferious notice. Auguftine died long before it happened. Gregory himself

was

was deceased before the controverfies between Augustine and Dinoth took place. He has been accused of extreme inconfiftency, in being imperious toward heretics, and indulgent toward pagans* and Jews. But a more exact acquaintance with cafes would enable men to form a better judgment. Gregory, like all real good men, was averfe to use violent methods in profelyting; he knew that converfion, if fincere, muft be voluntary. But when men once have been received into the Chriftian pale, the fame zeal, which laboured for their con. verfion, is ftudious for their uniform attachment to Chriftian fundamentals. It was no breach of charity in Gregory to attempt to hinder the promotion of a donatift in the Chriftian church in Africa, and fuch an attempt was very confiftent with that charity which forbad the perfecution of Jews.

On the whole, Gregory's conduct with respect to our ifland appears one of the moft fhining efforts of Chriftian charity. His miffionaries, in general, acted laudably; and the real establishment of Christianity was, under God, effected by their means. There was a ftain of rivalry and jealoufy, as we have seen, which appeared in their conduct; but they were men.

* Bower.

CHAP.

CHAP. VIII.

THE WORKS OF GREGORY.

A.D. This prelate,fes, nept in Jefus in the

HIS great prelate, worn out at length with

604. year 604*, after he had enjoyed, shall I fay-or endured his bifhopric thirteen years and fix months? No man in any age ever gave himself up more fincerely to the fervice of God, and the benefit of his fellow-creatures. Power in him was a voluntary fervitude, undertaken not for himself, but for all the world. Even the growth of fuperftition, with which he was ftrongly infected, while it fecured to him the cheerful obedience of the laity, contributed nothing to his eafe or fecular emolument. The belief of the roman bishop's fucceffion to Peter, which he found to be prevalent in Europe, was accidentally strengthened by his eminent piety and his laborious virtues. Had he even been difpofed to have extended his authority to much greater lengths, all the world would have been prone to fubmit to his decrees; fo firmly was the opinion of his integrity established among men. His con

fcience, however, would not fuffer him to carry any thing farther than precedents had fanctioned; and who, especially in an age of fuperftitious credulity, could doubt the juftice of his pretenfions, while the pre-eminence was fo painful, fo difinterefted, and fo beneficially exerted?

For I cannot perfuade myself to call him Pope. He pretended not to any thing like infallibility, nor did he ever attempt any thing like a fecular domination.

Fleury, Vol. IV. B. XXXVI. 51.

domination. The feeds of Antichrift were vigoroufly fhooting indeed; and the reputation of Gregory doubtless contributed much to mature the poifonous plant. But idolatry, fpiritual tyranny, and the doctrine of the merit of works, the three difcriminating marks of the papacy, had, as yet, no fettled eftablishment at Rome. Had this man lived in our age, he would doubtlefs have beheld with aftonishment, on the one hand the worldly fpirit of many Christian paftors fo called, and on the other the impiety of numerous infidels who are continually railing against the religious. His mind, naturally vigorous, induftrious, and active, would doubtlefs have fhaken off the gloom and credulity of fuperftition; but he would have been amazed to hear the pompous pretences to philofophy, in which every juvenile fciolift indulges himself. He would have examined the fruits, and have been at a lofs to conceive with what propriety the term philofopher could be applied to sceptics, blafphemers, atheists, levellers, and fenfualifts. He would, as a bifhop, have tried what could be done to ftem the torrent, and have exerted in the way of difcipline, which was his peculiar talent, his ufual addrefs, mildnefs and refolution. He would have mourned over his beloved. England*, if he had seen her fo abfurdly enflaved to ideas of mistaken liberty, as to fpurn at decent rules of difcipline, and to discountenance, as, tyranny, godly attempts to introduce and fupport them. He would have been ready to fay," this people are enemies to their own good:" he would have pitied them, wept, and confoled himself with his ufual refuge,

The gratitude of Bede has (B. II. C. 1. Ecc. hift) led him to apply to Gregory the words of St. Paul in regard to the Corinthians. As an Englishman, who felt himself much obliged, he fays, the feal of his apostleship are we in the Lord. The teftimony of antiquity to Gregory's beneficent piety toward this ifland is uniform.

refuge, the views of a better world, and have done what good was ftill in his power, by the example of an holy life, by painful preaching, and by pious writings.

Of these last we have many ftill extant. He particularly excelled in devotional compofition. Litanies had been used in the Weft before his time, in calamitous seasons, as the plague or famine. These were collected, and the choiceft parts felected from them, and compiled, through the care of Gregory, into one large litany, not much different from that used by the Church of England at this day. It was much corrupted afterwards in the popish times, was reformed by Hermannus, archbishop of Cologne, in the days of Luther, and afterwards improved by our Reformers.

But the Church of England is not only indebted to Gregory for the Litany. In his Sacramentary he embodied the collects of the antient Church, and improved old, or made new ones. Gelafius, before him, had appointed publick prayers compofed by himself or others. Thefe were all placed in the offices by Gregory. And by a comparison of our Book of Common Prayer with his Sacramentary it is evident, that almost all the collects for Sundays and the principal feftivals in the Church of England were taken out of the latter. To me it appears to be an advantage, that our reformers followed antiquity fo much in the work. The purification of the antient fervices from the corrupt and idolatrous mixtures of popery was as ftrong an indication of their judgment as the compofition of prayers altogether new could have been, which however they fcrupled not to introduce in various parts of the Liturgy. From the brief account I have given *, it appears, that the fervice of the Church is far

Nichols on B. of Com. Pray,

more