appointed to the see of Canterbury, confirmed the doctrines of transubstantiation, and his successor Anselm was not less devoted to the pope. In his contest with the crown, he has met with an able defender in Mr. Lingard; and Protestants as well as Papists sometimes have need to be on their guard against prejudice. Mr. Milner observes, and has proved the truth of his observation by extracts from the writings of the archbishop, that "amidst the gloom of superstition with which he was surrounded, he was yet enabled to describe and vindicate every fundamental of evangelical doctrine. Though a papist, he appeals to Scripture; he expounds them by opening the plain, grammatical sense of St. Paul." "Remove the rubbish of superstition and view the inward man, and you see in Anselm all that is vital and essential in godliness."

How his eyes could yet be blinded to the real character of the papacy, must be left to him who has opened ours; but, as a bishop and pastor, he certainly taught his people something better than popery. "A direction for the visitation of the sick was composed by Anselm; the substance of which is as follows. Two previous questions were to be asked by the minister; the first was, Dost thou believe that thou deservest damnation ? The second, Dost thou intend to lead a new life?" "He was then to be asked, Dost thou believe that thou canst not be saved, but by the death of Christ?" "The minister proceeds to address him, See then, while life remains in thee, that thou repose thy confidence only in the death of Christ; trust in nothing else; commit thyself wholly to his death; cover thyself wholly with this alone; mix thyself wholly with his death; involve thyself wholly in his death. And if the Lord will judge thee, say, Lord, I cast the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between myself and thy judgment; otherwise I will not engage in judgment with thee. And if he shall say to thee that thou art a sinner, say, I place the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between me and my sins. And if he shall say to thee thou deservest damnation, say, Lord, I cast the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between me and my evil deserts, and I offer his merits for that merit which I ought to have had and had not: if he shall say that he is angry with thee, say, Lord, I cast the

careless clergy were looking on, and verbally praying in a language which they neither understood nor could pronounce; and general habits of dissoluteness and inebriety pervaded the country."-Iistory of England, vol. ii. p. 360.

death of the Lord Jesus Christ between me and thy displeasure." All pronounced this prelate exemplarily holy, according to the "straitest sect" of their religion; but hear his own meditation. "I have asked many good things, my Creator, though I have deserved many evils. Not only I have no claim on thee for these good things, but I have merited exquisite punishments. But the case of publicans, harlots, and robbers, in a moment snatched from the jaws of the enemy, and received in the bosom of the Shepherd, animates my soul with a cheering hope."

In the beginning of the twelfth century, we find a bishop of Florence teaching publicly that Antichrist was born and come into the world. This gave great offence, and Pope Pascal II. held a council at Florence', reprimanded the bishop, and enjoined him silence on that subject.

But the life and writings of Bernard, called the Last of the Fathers, redeems the Roman community in this age from the character of entire desolation. We have no reason to suppose that Bernard was alone in his generation; there were probably many more, like him, taught of God in secret, to whom, notwithstanding, it was not given to know the nature of the abomination which held them in subjection. And this exposes to view what the word of prophecy had described, that in the temple where the man of sin did sit, and shew himself as God, there was a measured space, untrodden by the feet of the Gentiles, which contained the altar, and them that worshipped therein. Bernard was admired in his age as a perfect model of all that a Roman catholic and a monk should be; he gained such an influence over his contemporaries, that princes and pontiffs consulted him as an oracle. His character was formed ́ for the times in which he lived; not to stem the torrent of corruption, but to go with it, and diffuse a small portion of healing in its waters, which, there can be no doubt, caused many, who else would have drunk of them to their destruction, to live. Many parts of his works may still be read with profit by members of the purest churches; for, as Mr. Milner observes, "there was not an essential doctrine of the Gospel, which he did not embrace with zeal, defend by argument, and adorn by life." That he saw not the deceivableness of iniquity,' when he advocated the cause of superstition and the errors of popery, is certainly a deplorable inconsistency; but surely we are defective

IA.D. 1105.

2 Rev. xi.

in charity, if in Bernard we attribute it to his "not receiving the love of the truth," to his "having pleasure in unrighteousness." Yet, as few think it worth their time to acquaint themselves with his writings, we shall give the opinions formed of this father. "Papists represent him as an angel, and Protestants as a narrow bigot or furious zealot. Those who know nothing more of him than what they have learned from the prejudice of opposite extremes, are tempted to think him an object worthy of contempt, if not of detestation;" but those who will take the pains to study the character of Bernard from his own works, will contemplate a dispensation of the manifold grace of God, and learn how he could quicken and nourish the soul of a bigoted Papist of the twelfth century, with manifestations of saving mercy, with which few in the most enlightened ages have been favoured. Nor can any other cause be assigned that he, who is celebrated for the founding of a hundred and sixty monasteries, might not have been the founder of as many Protestant churches, than that, in the wonderful mystery of Divine Providence, the time was not yet come, when God would deliver his people out of captivity.

One great benefit to the church arose from his public ministry. In his contest with the notorious Abelard, he " nipped Socinianism in the bud1," which might else have torn up the very foundations of the church, already fallen in ruins. His preaching up of the Crusades for the recovery of the Holy Land, we must refer to the mistaken zeal of the times; and if among the Cathari there was indeed a people of saints of the Most High, to whose death he was consenting, we know that the blood of Him, whom he in ignorance persecuted, could wash out this stain also. It is evident that he regarded these sectaries, whose history we are afterwards to consider, not as maintaining the truth, which he knew and had tasted, against the peculiarities of the reigning superstition; but as heretics, holding fundamental errors concerning the person and atonement of Christ; and it is most probable, from the weight of historic evidence, that such was the fact. How a real Christian could approve of the laws of the age, which subjected deluded heretics, even of the worst description, to penalties so severe, the intelligent reader will not ask; for he must know that it was comparatively but very lately that either Papists or Protest

'Milner.

ants could be made to perceive that God required not the punishment of error at their hands; and that it was as impolitic as it was unjust and unmerciful.

Bernard died about the age of sixty-three1, chastened under the hand of God by a most severe illness. Certainly, if we believe his own words, he did not trust to superstitious vanities. "As far as in him lies," he writes, "he who attributes the glory of redemption, not to the cross of Christ, but to our proficiency in holy conversation, renders void and of none effect the mystery of the Divine dispensation; but God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, life, and resurrection.""I consider three things in which my hope consists; the love of adoption, the truth of the promise, and the power of performance. Let my foolish heart murmur as much as it pleaseth, and say, Who art thou, and how great is that glory, or by what merits dost thou expect to obtain it? I will confidently answer, I know whom I have believed, and I am certain, that he hath adopted me in love; that he is true to his promise; that he is powerful to fulfil it; for he can do what he pleaseth. This is the threefold cord which is not easily broken, which being let down to us from our heavenly country to earth, I pray that we may firmly hold, and may He himself lift us up, and draw us completely to the glory of God, who is blessed for ever." "Happy is he alone, to whom the Lord imputeth not sin. To have Him propitious to me, against whom alone I have sinned, suffices for my righteousNot to impute my sins, is, as it were, to blot out their existence. If my iniquity is great, thy grace is much greater. When my soul is troubled at the view of her sinfulness, I look at thy mercy and am refreshed"."

ness.

The reputation of Bernard, and his great connexions, permitted him to inveigh with impunity against the luxury and the sensuality of the clergy, of which he was a faithful reprover. But it fared ill with another eminent ecclesiastic in this age, for pursuing the same course; Meginher, archbishop of Treves, who, on account of the resentment which by this means he provoked, died in prison'. Arnulph, a presbyter, fell a martyr at Rome, for the same faithful testimony. Henricus, bishop of Mentz, may be added to the number of faithful witnesses against the world, that its deeds were evil. By the unjust accusation of his clergy, he was deprived of his bishopric by two cardinals at

'A.D. 1153.

2 Milner.

A.D. 1130.

"I know," said he, "if I were to appeal to the pope, it would be in vain. I appeal, therefore, to Jesus Christ, the just Judge of quick and dead, who neither accepts persons, nor receives bribes, as you do."

Anselm, bishop of Havelburg, who flourished in the middle of this century," saw and censured the pharisaism of the monkish institutions. He declared that there were many in his time, successively rising up', who disapproved of the vanity and novelty of monastic orders."

This clearly marks the period of the appearance of witnesses for the truth, who were better instructed concerning the whole mystery of iniquity, and enabled to discern the true character of the reigning church; and so far to cast off that superstitious veneration for a name which had enslaved their predecessors, that they venture to renounce her communion, or to deliver such a testimony against her abominations, that she expels them from her synagogue, and severs them from her stock, as branches to be burnt.

From about this epocha to nearly the middle of the twelfth century, we find very few indeed absolutely devoted to the papacy, like Anselm and Bernard, who give decisive evidence that they were in secret led by the Spirit of God. In fact, the papacy was now becoming more shameless in her abominations; and in the pride of her sway, manifested, too clearly to be misunderstood, the nature of her origin, and her real antichristian character. The thirteenth century, as Mr. Hallam has told us, was the "noon-day of papal dominion," and her noon was the midnight of true religion." It seemed, indeed, as if the faithful were minished from among the children of men, and not one godly man was left." Mr. Milner has observed of the Roman community, that it produced, during this century, no single person who could have given a satisfactory answer to the question, "What must I do to be saved?" But as we shall see in the following chapter, if God was about to cut off Babylon without a seed or remnant, and leave her name for a curse to his chosen, he had still "a people" in reserve, though "called by another name," whom he would raise up to produce faithful witnesses to his truth.

The prevalence of the Aristotelian philosophy, as we have seen, in treating of the rise of the ecclesiastical power, distinguished the papal schools about this period, and supplied new

Cent. Magd., cent. xii. 761.-MILNER.