France and some few other Churches, as we have heard before in the last chapter. There was another small difference in the use of this ancient hymn, which yet made no dispute among Catholics, till the rise of the Arian heresy, and then it occasioned no small disturbance. The Catholics themselves of old were wont to say, some," Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;" others," Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, with the Holy Ghost ;" and others, "Glory be to the Father, in or by the Son, and by the Holy Ghost." Now these different ways of expressing, were all allowed, so long as no heterodox opinion was suspected to be couched under them, as Valesius' has observed in his Notes upon Socrates and Theodoret, and St. Basil' shews more at large in his book De Spiritu Sancto. But when Arius had broached his heresy in the world, his followers would use no other form of glorification but the last, and made it a distinguishing character of their party to say, "Glory be to the Father, in or by the Son, and Holy Ghost:" intending hereby to denote, that the Son and Holy Ghost were inferior to the Father in substance, and, as creatures, of a different nature from him, as Sozomen3 and other ancient writers inform us. And from this time it became scandalous, and brought any one under the suspicion of heterodoxy to use it, because the Arians had now, as it were, made it the Shibboleth of their party. Philostorgius indeed says,* that the usual form of the Catholics was a novelty, and that Flavian at Antioch was the first that brought in this form of saying, "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost ;" whereas all before him said either, "Glory be to the Father, by the Son, in the Holy Ghost:" or "Glory be to the Father, in the Son, and in the Holy Ghost." But this is no more than what one might expect from the partiality of an Arian historian, and it is abundantly confuted by the ancient testimonies, which St. Basil produces in his 'Vales. Not. in Socrat. lib. i. cap. 21. et Theod. lib. ii. cap. 24. ? Basil. de Spir. Sanct. cap. 7, 25, et 29. 8 Sozom. lib. iii. cap. 20. Εδόξαζον Πατέρα ἐν Υἱῷ, δευτερεύειν τὸν Υἱὸν ἀποφαίνοντες. • Philostorg. lib. iii. cap. 13. 5 Basil. de Spir. Sanct. cap. xxix. own vindication against some, who charged him with the like innovation; in answer to which, he says, he did no more than what was done before by Irenæus, Clemens Romanus, the two Dionysii of Rome and Alexandria, Eusebius of Cæsarea, Origen, Africanus, Athenogenes, Gregory Thaumaturgus, Firmilian, and Meletius, and what was done in the prayers of the Church, and with the consent of all the Eastern and Western Churches. Which would make a man amazed to hear Cardinal Bona' charging St. Basil as blame-worthy, for displeasing the Catholics in using the form of the heterodox party; when it is plain, it was the heterodox party that quarrelled with him for using the Catholic form of the Church. And yet though he blames St. Basil without grounds, telling us," that a Catholic doctor ought to be without rebuke, and abstain from terms that have a suspected sense, and offend pious ears ;" yet he has nothing to say to Pope Leo, who, if either, was more certainly liable to his censure, for using the Arian form of doxology though in a Catholic sense, in one of his Christmas sermons, which he thus words," Let us give thanks, beloved, to the Father, by his Son, in the Holy Ghost." St. Basil never used this suspected form, though he says it might be used with an orthodox meaning, but always, "Glory be to the Father, with the Son and Holy Ghost." For which he was charged by some heterodox men as an innovator; but there was no room for Bona's censure. Having thus stated the ancient form and modification of this hymn in its first original, and subsequent progress that it made in the Church, we are next to see to what use it was applyed, and in what parts of divine service. And here we may observe, that it was an hymn of most general use, and a doxology offered to God in the close of every solemn office. The Western Church repeated it at the end of every psalm, and the Eastern Church at the end of the last psalm, as we have seen in the former chapter. Many of their prayers were also concluded with it, as we shall find in Bona, Rer. Liturg. lib. ii. cap. iii. n. 2. 2 Leo. Serm. i. de Nativ. Agamus, dilectissimi, gratias Deo Patri, per Filium ejus, in Spiritu Sancto. various instances in the following parts of this and the next book; particularly the solemn thanksgiving or consecrationprayer at the eucharist, to which Irenæus' and Tertullian refer, when they mention the close of it ending in these words, aiwvaç τwv alwvwv," world without end. Amen!" The whole doxology commonly running thus: "To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, be all glory, worship, thanksgiving, honour and adoration, now and for ever, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." As it is in the Constitutions.3 Or, if the prayer ended, " by the intercession of Christ," then it was, to whom with Thee," or, " with whom unto Thee and the Holy Spirit, be all honour, glory, &c. world without end. Amen!" This was also the ordinary conclusion of their sermons, "that we may obtain eternal life through Jesus Christ, to whom with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, be all glory and power, world without end:" as may be seen in the Homilies of Chrysostom, Austin, Leo, and all others, of which more in the fourth chapter of this Book. 66 SECT. 2. Of the Great Doxology, "Glory be to God on High." Another hymn of great note in the ancient Church, was that, which they commonly called, the angelical hymn, or great doxology, beginning with those words which the angels sung at our Saviour's birth, "Glory be to God on High, &c." This was chiefly used in the communion-service as it is now in our Church; and there we shall speak of it again in its proper place. It was also used at morning prayer daily at men's private devotions, as I have shewn before out of Athanasius and the Constitutions, where the reader may find it repeated at length under the title of ПIpoσεvxn Ewin, the morning prayer. In the Mosarabic Liturgy it is appointed to be sung in public before the lessons on Christmas day. St. Chrysostom often mentions it, and in Irenæ. lib. i. cap. 1. 2 Tertul. de Spectac. cap. xxv. 3 Constit. lib. viii. cap. 12. Vid. Theod. lib. ii. c. 24. not. a. de Basil. one place particularly observes, of those, who retired from the world to lead an ascetic life, that they met together daily to sing their morning hymns with one mouth to God, among which they sung this angelical hymn with the angels in heaven. But I have observed before, that this was not the common practice of all Churches, to sing it every day at morning prayer, but only in the communion-service; or at least only upon Sundays, and Easter-day, and such greater festivals of the Church. Who first composed this hymn, adding the remaining part to the words sung by the angels, is uncertain. Some suppose it to be as ancient as the time of Lucian, who lived in the beginning of the second century, and is thought to mean it in one of his dialogues, where he speaks of "the hymn with many names,—ñoλKovvμov dny," as used by the Christians: others take it for the Gloria Patri; which is a dispute as difficult to be determined, as it is to find out the first author and original of this hymn. And all I shall say further of it, is only what was said heretofore by the fourth Council of Toledo3 against some, who rejected the hymns of St. Hilary and St. Ambrose and others, because they were of human composition: that by the same reason they might have rejected both the lesser doxology, "Glory and honour be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost," which was composed by men; and also this greater doxology, part of which was sung by the angels at our Saviour's birth," Glory be to God on high and on earth peace to men of good will," so they read it, as many other Greek and Latin writers did; but the rest that follows, was composed and added to it by the doctors of the Church. SECT. 3. Of the Trisagion, or Cherubical Hymn, "Holy! Holy! Holy!" &c. A third hymn of great note in the Church was the che 1 Chrys. Hom. 68. vel. 69. in Mat. p. 600. of the Greek Church. p. 226. 2 Smith's Account 8 Con. Tolet. iv. can. 12. Nam et ille hymnus, quem, nato in carne Christo, angeli cecinerunt, Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terrâ pax hominibus bouæ voluntatis,' reliquaque quæ ibi sequuntur, ecclesiastici doctores composuerunt. rubical hymn, or the Trisagion, as it was called, because of the thrice repeating, "Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God of Hosts," in imitation of the seraphims in the vision of Isaiah. The original form of this hymn was in these words, "Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God of Hosts, heaven and earth are full of Thy glory, who art blessed for ever. Amen." Thus it is in the Constitutions,' and frequently in St. Chrysostom, who says always, that it was in the same words that the seraphims sung it in Isaiah. Afterward the Church added some words to it, and sung it in this form, “Αγιος ὁ Θεὸς, Αγιος Ἴσχυρος, Αγιος ΑθάναTos, iλenσov nμas, Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy upon us!" This form is ascribed by some to Proclus, bishop of Constantinople, and Theodosius Junior; anno 446. And in this form not long after we find it used by the Fathers of the Council of Chalcedon, in their condemnation of Dioscorus. Which is also noted by Damascen, who says," the Church used this form to declare her faith in the Holy Trinity, applying the title of Holy God to the Father, and Holy Mighty to the Son, and Holy Immortal to the Holy Ghost: not as excluding any of the three persons from each of these titles, but in imitation of the Apostle, who says, 'To us there is but one God the Father, of whom are all things, and we by him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.'' And thus this hymn continued to be applied to the whole Trinity, till Anastasius the Emperor, as some say, or as others relate, Peter Gnapheus, bishop of Antioch, caused the words," savowdeìs di' nuas, that was crucified for us," to be added to it. Which was intended to bring in the heresy of the Theopaschites, who asserted that the divine nature itself suffered upon the cross, and was in effect to say, that the whole Trinity suffered, because this hymn was commonly applied to the whole Trinity. To 1 Const. lib. viii. cap. xii. p. 402. 2 Chrys. Hom. i. de Verb. Esai. tom. iii. p. 834. Hom. vi. in Seraphim. ibid. p. 890. Hom. xxi. ad Pop. Antioch. tom. i. p. 266. et passim. Vid. Cyril. Catech. Myst. v. n. 5. Con Vasens. ii. can. 4. 3 Con. Chalced. Act. i. p. 310. tom. iv. Labbe. Damascen. de Orthod. Fide. lib. iii, cap. 10. 6 Damascen. ibid. ⚫ Evagr. lib. iii. cap. 44. |