ThecontemporarysaintalwaysmentionsthebishopofLaodiceaasafriendandbrother。Thestyleofthemorerecenthistoriansisharshandhostile:yetPhilostorgiuscompareshiml。viii。c。11
—15toBasilandGregory。]
V。ThegrovellingEbionite，andthefantasticDocetes，wererejectedandforgotten:therecentzealagainsttheerrorsofApollinarisreducedtheCatholicstoaseemingagreementwiththedoublenatureofCerinthus。Butinsteadofatemporaryandoccasionalalliance，theyestablished，andwestillembrace，thesubstantial，indissoluble，andeverlastingunionofaperfectGodwithaperfectman，ofthesecondpersonofthetrinitywithareasonablesoulandhumanflesh。Inthebeginningofthefifthcentury，theunityofthetwonatureswastheprevailingdoctrineofthechurch。Onallsides，itwasconfessed，thatthemodeoftheircoexistencecouldneitherberepresentedbyourideas，norexpressedbyourlanguage。Yetasecretandincurablediscordwascherished，betweenthosewhoweremostapprehensiveofconfounding，andthosewhoweremostfearfulofseparating，thedivinity，andthehumanity，ofChrist。Impelledbyreligiousfrenzy，theyfledwithadversehastefromtheerrorwhichtheymutuallydeemedmostdestructiveoftruthandsalvation。Oneitherhandtheywereanxioustoguard，theywerejealoustodefend，theunionandthedistinctionofthetwonatures，andtoinventsuchformsofspeech，suchsymbolsofdoctrine，aswereleastsusceptibleofdoubtorambiguity。Thepovertyofideasandlanguagetemptedthemtoransackartandnatureforeverypossiblecomparison，andeachcomparisonmisleadtheirfancyintheexplanationofanincomparablemystery。Inthepolemicmicroscope，anatomisenlargedtoamonster，andeachpartywasskilfultoexaggeratetheabsurdorimpiousconclusionsthatmightbeextortedfromtheprinciplesoftheiradversaries。Toescapefromeachother，theywanderedthroughmanyadarkanddeviousthicket，tilltheywereastonishedbythehorridphantomsofCerinthusandApollinaris，whoguardedtheoppositeissuesofthetheologicallabyrinth。Assoonastheybeheldthetwilightofsenseandheresy，theystarted，measuredbacktheirsteps，andwereagaininvolvedinthegloomofimpenetrableorthodoxy。Topurgethemselvesfromtheguiltorreproachofdamnableerror，theydisavowedtheirconsequences，explainedtheirprinciples，excusedtheirindiscretions，andunanimouslypronouncedthesoundsofconcordandfaith。Yetalatentandalmostinvisiblesparkstilllurkedamongtheembersofcontroversy:bythebreathofprejudiceandpassion，itwasquicklykindledtoamightyflame，andtheverbaldisputes^19oftheOrientalsectshaveshakenthepillarsofthechurchandstate。
[Footnote19:IappealtotheconfessionoftwoOrientalprelates，GregoryAbulpharagiustheJacobiteprimateoftheEast，andEliastheNestorianmetropolitanofDamascus，seeAsseman，Bibliothec。Oriental。tom。ii。p。291，tom。iii。p。514，&c。，
thattheMelchites，Jacobites，Nestorians，&c。，agreeinthedoctrine，anddifferonlyintheexpression。Ourmostlearnedandrationaldivines—Basnage，LeClerc，Beausobre，LaCroze，Mosheim，Jablonski—areinclinedtofavorthischaritablejudgment；butthezealofPetaviusisloudandangry，andthemoderationofDupinisconveyedinawhisper。]