IN CHURCH HISTORY. 59 



heretics. The second was one of the steps which 

 led finally to the division of the Church into an 

 Eastern and a Western section. 



Eut the whole reign of Constantine was filled 

 with important events. In the adaptation of the 

 Church to the new condition of things, we must 

 not be surprised to learn that many evils sprang 

 up, and that grievous errors and abuses followed 

 the new era of temporal prosperity. When it 

 became the fashion of the day to make a Christian 

 profession, there were many who changed from 

 paganism to the new religion without imbibing its 

 spirit ; and when the clergy were so laden, as they 

 became, with wealth and honors, there were some 

 who could not endure the trials of prosperity, but 

 grew corrupt both in doctrine and in life. 



Constantine's own character and life were not 

 such as we usually associate with that of a sincere 

 Christian. Although he defended Christianity, he 

 was not baptized until late in his life, during his 

 closing illness. Much allowance for his errors 

 and his sins must be made on the ground of the 

 condition of the times, particularly the distrac- 

 tions which then began to prevail in the Church 

 itself. Towards the end of his reign dark crimes 

 stained his record, and occasionally he seemed to 

 lean again to paganism. 



His establishment of Constantinople, as the first 

 Christian city, was, it is thought, partly from the 



