on of St.
Peter, &c., (l. 6,) and of the very Jews, who were more sincere than
the Arians, acknowledging that Christ called himself the natural Son
of God. (John x. 31, &c. l. 7, n. 2, 3, p. 931.) The natural unity
of the Father and Son, he demonstrates from that text, "I and my
Father are one," and others, (l. 8,) and observes that both from the
testimony of Christ in the holy scriptures, and from the faith of
the church, we believe without doubting the Eucharist to be the true
body and blood of Christ, (l. 8, n. 14, p. 955, 956.) He answers
several objections from scripture, (l. 9,) and shows there was
something in Christ (viz. the divine person, &c.) which did not
suffer in his passion, (l. 10.) Other objections he confutes, (l.
11,) and in his last book defends the eternity of the Son of God.
Between August in 358, and May in 359, St. Hilary, after he had been
three years in banishment, and was still in Asia, published his book
On Synods, to inform the Catholics in Gaul, Britain, and Germany,
what judgment they ought to form of several synods, held lately in
the East, chiefly by the Arians and Semi-Arians: a work of great use
in the history of those times, and in which St. Hilary's prudence,
humility, modesty, greatness of soul, constancy, invincible
meekness, and love of peace, shine forth. In this work he mollifies
certain expressions of the Semi-Arians in their councils, because
writing before the council of Rimini, he endeavored to gain them by
this method, whereas he at other times severely condemned the same;
as did also St. Athanasius, in his book on the same subject, and
under the same title, which he composed after the council of Rimini;
and expressly to show the variations of those heretics. (See
Coutant, vit. S. Hilar. p. c. ci. et praef. in S. Hilar. de Synodis,
p. 1147.) Fifteen fragments of St. Hilary's history of the councils
of Rimini and Seleucia furnish important materials for the history
of Arianism, particularly of the council of Rimini. In his first
book to the emperor Constantius, which he wrote in 355 or 356, he
conjures that prince with tears to restore peace to the church, and
leave the decision of ecclesiastical causes to its pastors. The
excellent request which he presented to Constantius at
Constantinople, in 360, is called his second book to that princ