324

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.

XXL

Factions.

asserted the rights of intellectual freedom, andtheir respect for the sentiments of their teach-ers was a liberal and voluntary tribute, whichthey offered to superior reason. But the Chris-tians formed a numerous and disciplined so-ciety ; and the jurisdiction of their laws andmagistrates was strictly exercised over theminds of the faithful. The loose wanderingsof the imagination were gradually confined bycreeds and confessions; 1 the freedom of privatejudgment submitted to the public wisdom ofsynods ; the authority of a theologian was de-termined by his ecclesiastical rank; and theepiscopal successors of the apostles inflictedthe censures of the church on those who devi-ated from the orthodox belief. But in an ageof religious controversy, every act of oppressionadds new force to the elastic vigour of the mind;and the zeal or obstinacy of a spiritual rebelwas sometimes stimulated by secret motives ofambition or avarice. A metaphysical argumentbecame the cause or pretence of political con-tests ; the subtleties of the platonic school wereused as the badges of popular factions, and thedistance which separated their respective te-nets was enlarged or magnified by the acrimonyof dispute. As long as the dark heresies ofPraxeas and Sabellius laboured to confoundthe Father with the Son , 3 the orthodox party

r The most ancient creeds were drawn up with the greatest latitude*See Bull (Judicium Eccles. Cathol.) who tries to prevent Episcopus from deriving any advantage from this observation.

' The heresies of Praxeas, Sabellius , &c. are accurately explainedby Mosheim (p. 425, 680-714). Praxeas, who came to Rome about

the