Rutter, Waddington,
and others, point to the third century, or the latter half of the
third century, as marking an unusual epoch in this declension. Others,
however, who view things almost wholly from the external point of
view, regard the accession of Constantine in the early part of the
following century as marking the important epoch. With reference
to this subject, I quote Joseph Milner, the English ecclesiastical
historian: "I know it is common for authors to represent the
declension of Christianity to have taken place only after its external
establishment under Constantine. But the events of history have
compelled me to dissent from this view of things."--Ch. Hist., Cent.
IV, Chap. I.

It is also evident from the facts of history that, in addition to
the corruption of evangelical faith, that other phase of the
apostasy--human ecclesiasticism--was also highly developed before the
end of the third century. George P. Fisher says, "The accession of
Constantine [A.D. 312] found the church so firmly organized under
the hierarchy that it could not lose its identity by being absolutely
merged in the state."--History of the Christian Church, p. 99.

In the year A.D. 270 Anthony, an Egyptian, the father of monasticism,
fixed his abode in the deserts of Egypt and formed monks into
organized bodies. Dowling, describing the extravagance of monkery and
the false standard of piety and holiness it created, declares that
monkery "_actually affected the church universal_." See History of
Romanism, pp. 88, 89. Very few marks of genuine piety remained. With
the decline of evangelical knowledge came a reign of superstition
and ignorance. Milner, adverting to the institution of monkery in the
_third century_, expresses his "regret that the faith and love of
the gospel received toward the close of it a dreadful blow from the
encouragement of this unchristian practise."--Century III, Chap. XX.

In another place the same historian, speaking of the absence of truth
and the prevalence of error in the third century, says: "It is vain to
expect Christian faith to abound without Christian doctrine. Moral and
philosophical and monastical instructions will not effect for men
what is to be expected from evangelical doctrine. And if the faith of
Christ was so much declined (and its decayed state _ought to be dated
from about the year 270_,) we need not wonder that such scenes as
Eusebius hints at without any circumstantial details, took place