. Paganism, popery, and Christianity : or, The blessing of an open Bible, as shown in the history of Christianity, from the time of our Saviour to the present day. echurch, and punished the crimes committed againstthe laws by the ordinary judges appointed for thatpurpose; giving over all causes purely ecclesiasticalto the bishops and councils. But this famous divi-sion of the administration of the church was neverexplained with sufficient accuracy; so that both inthe fourth and fifth centuries, there are frequent in-stances of the emperors determining matters purelyecclesiastical, and likcAvis
. Paganism, popery, and Christianity : or, The blessing of an open Bible, as shown in the history of Christianity, from the time of our Saviour to the present day. echurch, and punished the crimes committed againstthe laws by the ordinary judges appointed for thatpurpose; giving over all causes purely ecclesiasticalto the bishops and councils. But this famous divi-sion of the administration of the church was neverexplained with sufficient accuracy; so that both inthe fourth and fifth centuries, there are frequent in-stances of the emperors determining matters purelyecclesiastical, and likcAvise of bishops and councilsdetermining matters which related merely to the ex-ternal form and government of the church. After the time of Constantine many additions weremade by the emperors and others to the wealth andhonours of the clergy ; and these additions were fol-lowed by a proportionable increase of their vices andluxury, particularly among those who lived in greatand opulent cities. The bishops, on the one hand,contended with each other in the most scandalousmanner ^r,VsB^VlO».S o-^ .ho. FIFTH CENTURY. 105 risdictions : while, on the other, they trampled on therights of the people, violated the privileges of theinferior ministers, and imitated in their conduct andin their manner of living, the arrogance, voluptuous-ness, and luxury of magistrates and princes. Thispernicious example was soon followed by the severalecclesiastical orders. The presbyters, in many places,assumed an equality with the bishops in point of rankand authority. Many complaints are also made byauthors in this century about the vanity and effemin-acy of the deacons. Those more particularly of thepresbyters and deacons who filled the first stationsof these orders, carried their pretensions to an extra-vagant length, and were offended at the notion ofbeing placed on an equality with their this reason they not only assumed the titles ofurch-preshyters and arch-deacons^ but also claimed ad
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