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CORRESPONDENCE.

The Editor begs to remind his readers that he is not responsible for the opinions
of his Correspondents.

LETTERS ON THE CHURCH OF THE FATHERS.

NO. XV.

I SHALL end my account of the religious temper and opinions of St. Antony by setting before the reader some unconnected passages, as they occur in the narrative of his life.

It is remarkable that his attempts at curing diseases were not always successful; his prayers being, as ours may be, experimental— not, as in the case of the apostles, immediately suggested by the same power which was about openly to manifest itself. I am not denying that there were then in the church extraordinary and heavenly gifts; but, whatever they were, they were distinct from those peculiar powers which we technically call miraculous.

"He united in sympathy and prayer with those who were in suffering; and often, and in many things, the Lord heard him. When heard, he did not boast; when unsuccessful, he did not murmur; but, under all circumstances, he gave thanks to the Lord himself, and exhorted the sufferers to be patient, and be assured that their cure was out of the power of himself, and, indeed, of any man, and lay with God only, who wrought when he would, and towards whom he chose. They, in consequence, felt a kind of cure even in the words of the old man, catching his cheerfulness and patience, while those who were healed were instructed not to give thanks to Antony, but to God only."

This passage deserves notice also, as shewing the unvarnished character of the narrative. Monkish legends are not, in general, candid enough to admit such failures as are implied in it. The following to the same purpose. He was asked to suffer a paralytic female and her parents to visit him with the hope of a cure, and he refused, on the ground that, if her life was to be preserved, her prayers might be efficacious without him.

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"Go,' he answered, and, unless she be dead already, you will find her cured. This happy event is not my doing, that she should come to me, a miserable man, to secure it; but it is the Saviour's work, whose mercy is, in every place, on those who call upon him. To her prayers, then, the Lord has been gracious; to me is but revealed, by his loving kindness, that he means to cure her where she is."

Antony held that faith had power with God for any work; and he took delight in contrasting the privilege of believing with that poor and barren measure of knowledge which sight and reason open on us at the utmost. He considered, contrariwise to present notions, that the consciousness of being rational was no necessary condition of being rational. I mean, it is the present opinion, that no one can be acting according to reason, unless he reflects on himself and recognizes his own rationality. A peasant, who cannot tell why he believes, is supposed to have no reason for believing. This is worth noticing, for it is parallel to many other dogmas into which a civilized age will be sure to fall. Antony, on the other hand, considered there was some

thing great and noble in believing and acting on the gospel, without asking for proof; making experiment of it, and being rewarded by the success of it. He put the arguments for belief, to speak paradoxically, after, not before believing-that is, he seems to have felt there was a divine spirit and power in Christianity such as irresistibly to commend it to religious and honest minds, coming home to the heart with the same conviction which any high moral precept carries with it, and leaving argumentation behind as comparatively useless, except by way of curiously investigating motives and reasons for the satisfaction of the philosophical analyst. Probably he would not have been at all disconcerted, even could it have been proved to him that his cures were the natural effect of imagination in the patient; accounting them as rewards to faith, any how, not as evidence to the reason. Perhaps this consideration will tend to solve Paley's difficulty, better than he does himself, why the early fathers appeal so faintly and scantily to the argument from miracles. That argument is not ordinarily the actual mode by which the mind is subdued to the obedience of Christ. Some philosophers came to discourse with him; he says to them— "Since you rest everything upon proof, and, being skilled in the science of proof, would have us also refrain from worshipping God without a proof drawn out inte words, answer me first, how is the knowledge of the universe and of religion after all brought home to us? Is it by a proof upon paper, or through faith manifested in action? And which of the two will you put first? They said, faith, owning that it implied a realization of the subject matter of it. Then Antony rejoined, Well said, for faith results from a disposition of the heart; but dialectics are external, depending on the ingenuity of the artist. They, then, who possess the active principle of faith, can supersede, nay, are but cumbered with such proof as is conceived in words; for what we comprehend by believing, you are merely endeavouring to exhibit in propositions, and sometimes cannot throw into words at all. Faith, then, which acts, is better and surer than your subtle syllogisms.""

Again

"We argue, not in the persuasive words of Gentile wisdom, as our teacher says, but we simply persuade by enjoining faith, which supersedes words.'”

After curing some demoniacs with the sign of the cross, he adds, "Why wonder ye at this? It is not we who do it, but Christ, by means of those who believe on him. Do ye, too, believe, and ye shall see that the influence of our religion lies not in some art of words, but in faith, which worketh by love towards Christ; which if ye attained, ye would no longer seek for proofs drawn out into language, but would account faith in Christ sufficient.""

As Antony would not be startled at his cures being set down to the power of imagination, so I conceive, in like manner, he would have admitted his gift of prescience to be, not miraculous, but the result of deep and continued meditation, acute reflection, and that calmness and dispassionateness of mind which self-denying habits naturally create, aided, of course, by the special evangelical influences of the Spirit, which, in his age, were manifested far more fully than in our

own.

He is far from boasting of his spiritual attainments:

"It is not right to glory in the power of casting out devils, nor of curing diseases, nor to make much of him only who casts out devils, and to undervalue him who does On the contrary, study and master the austere life of each, and either imitate or improve upon them. For to do miracles is not ours, but the Saviour's; where

not.

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fore he said to his disciples, Rejoice not that the devils are subject unto you,' &c. To those who take confidence, not in their holiness, but in their miraculous power, and say, Lord, did we not cast out devils in thy name.'... He makes answer, Verily I say unto you, I know you not ;' for, he does not acknowledge the ways of the irreligious. On the whole, then, we must pray for the gift of discerning spirits, that, as it is written, we may not believe every spirit.'

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In like manner he dissuades his hearers from seeking the gift of prophecy; in which he remarkably differs from heathen ascetics, such as the Neo-platonists, who considered a knowledge of the secret principles of nature the great reward of their austerities.

"What is the use of hearing beforehand what is to happen? Or, why be desirous of such knowledge, even though it be true? It does not make us better men; nor, again, ascertain our religious excellence at all. None of us is judged for what he does not know, nor accounted happy for his learning and acquirements; but, under whatever circumstances, the question is, whether or not he has kept the faith, and honestly obeyed the commandments? Wherefore we must not account these great matters, nor live ascetically for the sake of them-viz., in order to know the future; but to please God by a good conversation......Even if we are anxious to foresee what is to be, it is necessary to be pure in mind. Certainly, I believe that the soul, which is clean on every side, and established according to its highest nature, becomes keen-sighted, and is able to see things more and further than the devils, inasmuch as having the Lord to reveal them to it. Such was Elisha's witnessing Gehazi's conduct, and discerning the heavenly hosts standing round about."

These extracts have incidentally furnished some evidence of the calmness, and, I may say, good sense, of Antony-i. e., granting that his view of things is correct. I am aware that an objector would urge that this is the very peculiarity of madness, to reason correctly upon false premises; and that Antony in no way differs from many men, now-a-days, whom we consider unable to take care of themselves. Yet, surely, in considering the evidence of the divine mission of the apostles, we do think it allowable to point out their judiciousness and composure of mind, though the same objection applies. And, considering how extravagant and capricious is the conduct of enthusiasts commonly, how rude their manners, how inconstant their resolutions, how variable their principles, it is certainly a recommendation to our solitary to find him so grave, manly, considerate, and refined-in a word, to speak familiarly, so gentlemanlike. We see something of this in the account given in my last paper of his personal appearance after his twenty years' seclusion, which had nothing of the emaciated character, or the uncouth expression, of one who had thrown himself out of the society of his fellow-men. Call his life a romance, if you will; still, I say, at least, we have in the narrative the ideal of a hermit according to the views of the fourth century. Antony was no savage saint, no ostentatious dervise; he had no pomposity or affectation, nothing of cunning and hypocrisy. According to the description of his biographer, in another place

"His countenance had a great and extraordinary beauty of expression in it. It might be quite called a gift from the Saviour; for, if he was in company with a number of brethren, and any stranger wished to have a sight of him, directly he came among them, he would pass by the rest, and hasten straight to Antony, as being attracted by his appearance. Not that he was taller or larger than others; but there was a peculiar composure of manner and sweetness in him. For, being calm and collected, all his outward expressions of feeling were free from perturbation also; so that the joy of his soul made his very face cheerful, and from the

gestures of the body might be understood what he was within, according to the text, A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance; but sorrow of the heart overcasts it with gloom.' Thus Jacob detected Laban's treachery, and said to his wives, 'I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before.' Thus Samuel, too, discovered David; for he had mirthful eyes, and teeth white as milk. In like manner one might recognize Antony; for he was never agitated, his soul being in a continual calm: never changed countenance, from his inward joyfulness."

His own words assign one of the causes of this tranquillity. He says

"The vision granted us of the holy angels, does not disturb or agitate; for it is written,' He shall not strive, nor cry,' nor shall any one hear their voice. So quietly and gently does it come upon the soul, that it is straightway filled with joy, exultation, and confidence, knowing that the Lord is with them, who is our joy, and God the Father's power. And its thoughts are preserved from tumult and tempest; so that, being illuminated fully, it is able of itself to contemplate the beings that appear before it. A longing after divine and future good takes possession of it, till it desires altogether to be joined unto it, and so depart with them. Nay, and if after all there be some who, from the natural infirmity of men, dread the sight of these glories, these apparitions remove their alarm by their loving consideration, as Gabriel did to Zacharias, and the angel at the tomb to the women, and that other to the shepherds, saying, Fear not.'"

This might be considered mysticism, but for Antony's constant profession and practice of self-denying and active virtue. He took a vigorous part in the religious controversies of his day, reverencing the authorities of the church, and strenuously opposing both the Meletian schismatics, and the Arians. The following is an account of another of his interviews with heathen philosophers. They came with the hope of jeering at his ignorance of literature:

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"Antony said to them, Answer me this question—which is prior, the mind or letters? And which gives rise to which, mind to letters, or letters to mind?" When they answered that mind was prior, and invented letters, Antony replied, He, then, whose mind is in health, does not need letters.' They went away surprised that an uneducated man should shew such ability. For, indeed, he had nothing of the rudeness and heaviness which might be expected from one who had lived and grown old in a mountainous solitude; but was polished in his manner, and could mix easily with the world."

It has often been remarked, that the common run of legends and the like fail in point of dignity when they introduce miraculous occurrences. Thus there is something unbecoming, something unlike scripture, in the account of the flies killed by lightning for settling on a Rabbi's face, or the stones of the heathen temples weeping at the persecutions of the Christians. Now Antony's miracles and visions are so far clear of this defect, that had they been ascribed to St. Peter or St. Paul, I conceive they could not, on that account, have been reasonably rejected, evidence being supposed. For instance:

"Once, when he was going to take food, having stood up to pray, about the ninth hour, he felt himself carried away in spirit, and, strange to say, he saw himself as he stood looking on, as if out of himself, and borne into the air by certain beings. Next, he saw some hateful and terrible shapes stopping the way to prevent his passing on. His conductors resisted, and asked how he was open to their assault; on which the others began to reckon up his conduct from his birth. They, however, interrupted them, saying, The Lord has wiped out all his early sins; but, if ought can be brought against him from the time he consecrated himself to God, it may be lawfully done.' His accusers, hereupon, began; but when they could prove nothing, the way became clear and open; and immediately he found himself returned, as it

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were, to himself, and forming with himself one Antony as before. Then forgetting his meal, he remained the rest of that day, and the whole of the following night, groaning and praying; for he was astonished at finding against how many we have to wrestle, and by what an effort we must pass through the air heavenward. He remembered the apostle's account of Satan, as the prince of the power of the air,'... and his special exhortation to us, ' Put on the panoply of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day.' When we heard it, we called to mind that other text, Whether in the body, I know not, and whether out of the body, I know not; God knoweth."

Again

He had had a discussion with some persons who had come to him concerning the intermediate state. On the following night, a voice called him from above in these words, Antony, rise, go forth, and behold." Accordingly he went forth, knowing it was to be obeyed, and, looking up, he saw a huge something, unsightly and horrid, reaching up to the clouds, and stretching out its hands after certain persons who had, as it were, wings, and were ascending. Of these, he brought some to a stand; while others, flying past him, went upwards without further trouble. In such cases, that huge monster would gnash his teeth; rejoicing, on the other hand, over those whom he cast down. Immediately Antony heard a voice, saying, 'Look, and understand.' And his mind was opened, and he comprehended that he saw the passage of souls, and the enemy, envious of believers, seizing and stopping those whom he had an advantage over, but foiled in his attempts upon those who had not in this life obeyed him. After this vision, taking it as a warning, he made still more strenuous efforts to advance in religion daily."

Once more.

"Once, when he was sitting at his customary toil, he fell into a trance, and groaned much at the sight he saw. After a while, he turned to those who were with him groaning, and prayed with much trembling, remaining a long time on his knees. When, at length, he rose, the old man began to weep. His friends, trembling and in great alarm themselves, begged to know what it was that shocked him, and urged him till he was forced to tell. O, my children,' he said at length, with a deep sigh, it were better to die before that vision is fulfilled.' On their pressing him, he continued with tears, Wrath is about to overtake the church, which is to be given over to men like irrational brutes. For I saw the table of the Lord's house hemmed in by mules who were striking about with their hoofs at every thing within, as is the way with mannerless beasts. You see, now, why I groaned so much; for I heard a voice, saying, My altar shall be polluted."' Two years after this vision, the assault of the Arians took place, when the churches were plundered, and the sacred vessels given to heathens to carry off, and heathens from the workhouses compelled to attend the holy communion with them, and in their presence wanton insults offered to the Lord's table."

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It is satisfactory to find in Antony clear marks of his protestantism, in a good sense of that ambiguous word-I mean, of his adherence to scripture as the rule of faith, and his freedom from those superstitions with which Popery has overlaid its sacred contents. The appeal to scripture, in the narrative of Athanasius, is so frequent and reverential as to be a virtual proof of his holding the protestant doctrine of its exclusive authority as the record of necessary truth. Some instances have occurred in the course of the citations made in former papers, to which I add the following by way of illustration:

When he was at Alexandria, during the Maximinian persecution"He was like a man in grief, because he did not attain martyrdom; but the Lord was his preserver for the benefit of us and others, in order that he might be to many an instructor in that austere life which he himself had learned from the Scriptures. It is as well that the so-called Bible-Christian of this day should be reminded by such remarks as this, that there are doctrines which a VOL. VIII.-Sept. 1835.

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