This  state  of  things  lasted  for  eighty  years  in  France,


344      Heretical  and  Schismatical  Bodies

for  a  hundred  in  Italy  and  Africa,  and  for  a  hundred
and  eighty  in  Spain,  extending  through  a  space  of  two
centuries.  It  should  be  added  that  these  Gothic  hordes,
wliich  took  possession  of  the  Empire,  had  little  of  the
character  of  barbarism,  except  that  they  were  cruel;
they  were  chaste,  temperate,  just,  and  devout,  and
some  of  their  princes  were  men  of  ability  and  patrons
of  learning.  Did  you  live  in  that  day,  my  brethren,
you  would,  perhaps,  be  looking  with  admiration  at
these  Arians,  as  now  you  look  at  the  Greeks ; — not  from
love  of  their  heresy,  but,  your  imagination  being
affected  by  their  number,  power,  and  nobleness,  you
would  try  to  make  out  that  they  really  did  hold  the
orthodox  faith,  or  at  least  that  it  was  not  at  all  cer-
tain that  they  did  not,  though  they  did  deny,  to  be
sure,  the  Nicene  Creed,  against  which  they  had  been
unhappily  prejudiced,  and  anathematized  Athanasius
from  defective  knowledge  of  history.  You  would  have
used  the  words  of  BramhalL  quoted  above,  when  speak-
ing of  later  families  of  heretics: — "How  are  they
heretical  Churches?  some  of  tliem  are  called  Arians;
but  most  injuriously,  who  have  nothing  of  Arius,  but
the  name;  others  have  been  suspected  of  Macedoniaiiism,
and  yet  in  truth  orthodox  enough.  It  is  no  new  thing
for  great  quarrels  to  arise  from  mere  mistakes."  Bulk,
not  symmetry ;  vastness,  not  order ;  show,  not  principle
— I  fear  I  must  say  it,  my  dear  brethren^these  are
your  tests  of  truth,     A  century  earlier  than  the  Goths,


710  Prejudice  to  Catholicity  oftJie  Church.  345

you  would  have  been  enlarging  on  the  importance  of
the  Donatists.  "  Four  hundred  sees ! "  you  would
have  said;  "a  whole  four  hundred!  why,  ft  is  a  fifth
of  the  Episcopate  of  Christendom.  Unchurch  them !
impossible;  we  shall  excommunicate  ourselves  in  the

attempt."

5.
