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"It may feem fuperfluous to recite the names. of our people; for they were many, and to me unknown. Take this however for certain: There were men and women, young men and old men, virgins and old women, foldiers and vulgar perfons, of all forts and ages. Some, after ftripes and fire, were crowned victors.-Some, immediately by the fword, and others after a fhort but fevere torture, became acceptable facrifices to the Lord. You all heard how I, and Caius, and Fauftus, and Peter, and Paul, when we were led bound by the centurion and his foldiers, were feized by certain men of Mareota, and drawn away by violence. I, and Caius, and Peter, were deprived of the other brethren, and were confined in a dreary part of Lybia, diftant three days journey from Parætonium, Afterwards he fays, "There hid themselves in the city, fome good men who visited the brethren fecretly: Among thefe, Maximus, Diofcorus, Demetrius, and Lucius were minifters. Two others of greater note, Fauftinus and Aquila, now wander, I know not where, in Egypt. All the deacons died of difeafes, except Fauftinus, Eufebius, and Chæremon. God inftructed Eufebius and strengthened him, from the beginning, to minifter diligently to the confeffors in prifon, and to bury the bodies of the holy martyrs: —which, however, he could not do without great danger. The prefident, to this day, ceases not cruelly to kill some instantly; and to tear in pieces others by torments, or to confume them more flowly by bonds and imprisonments: He forbids any perfons to come nigh them; and inquires daily whether his orders be obeyed.-Yet our God ftill refreshes the afflicted with confolation and with the attendance of the brethren."

This Eufebius,-here honourably mentioned,was fome time after bifhop of Laodicea in Syria; and Maximus the prefbyter was fucceffor to Dionyfius in Alexandria. Fauftus was referved to the days of Dioclehian-again to suffer,-even to blood.

At Cæfarea in Palestine, Prifcus, Malcus, and Alexander, were devoured by wild beafts. Thefe perfons led an obfcure life in the country; but hearing of the multitude of executions, they blamed themfelves for their floth; they came to Cæfarea; went to the judge, and obtained the object of their ambition. Our divine Mafter, both by precept and example, condemns fuch forward zeal;-which, however, in thefe inftances we truft, was not without a real love of his name. -We have feen, abundantly, how much like a true difciple of Chrift, Cyprian of Carthage conducted himself in thefe refpects.In this fame city, there likewife fuffered a woman, who was faid to be inclined to the herefy of Marcion; but, probably, there was not much ground for the report.

After three years employed in perfecution, Valerian was taken prifoner by Sapor king of Perfia, who detained him the reft of his life, and made ufe of his neck when he mounted his horse; and at length commanded him to be flayed and falted. This event belongs to fecular rather than Churchhiftory: But as it is perfectly well attested, and as no one that I know of, except Mr. Gibbon, ever affected to difbelieve the fact, it cannot but ftrike the mind of any one who fears God.-Valerian had known and refpected the Chriftians: His perfecu tion must have been a fin against the light; and it is common with divine providence to punish such daring offences in a very exemplary manner.

The

After Valerian's captivity the Church was re- A. D. ftored to reft. About the year two hundred and 262. fixty-two, Gallienus his fon and fucceffor proved a fincere friend to the Chriftians, though, in other refpects, no reputable emperor. By edicts he ftopped the perfecution; and he had the condefcenfion to give the bishops his letters of licence to return to their paftoral charges. One of thefe letters, as preferved by Eufebius, runs thus:-" The emperor Cæfar-Gallienus to Dionyfius,-the bithop of Alexandria then in exile,-to Pinna and Demetrius, with the rest of the bishops. The benefit of our favour we command to be published through the world: and I have, therefore, ordered every one to withdraw from fuch places as were. devoted to religious ufes; fo that you may make ufe of the authority of my edict against any moleftation; for I have, fome time fince, granted you my protection: wherefore Cyrenius the governor of the province will obferve the refcript which I have fent." He directed alfo another edict to certain bithops, by which he reftored to them the places in which they buried their dead.

Were it needful at this day to refute the rafh calumnies of Tacitus and of others against the Chriftians, one might appeal to these two edicts of Gallienus. It is impoffible that either of them could have taken place, if it had not been undeniable that the Chriftians, even to the time beyond the middle of the third century, were men of probity and worthy of the protection of goverment. As it is impoffible to avoid this conclufion, the deepest ftain refts on the characters of Trajan, Decius, and Valerian, men highly respected in fecular hiftory, for treating their fubjects of the best characters with favage ferocity.-But God, who has the hearts of all men in his hand, provided for his

servants

fervants a protector in Gallienus, after an unexampled courfe of heavy perfecution during the three laft reigns. Gallienus himself feems to have been more like a modern than an ancient fovereign;-a man of tafte, indolence, and philofophy;-difpofed to cherish every thing that looked like knowledge and liberty of thinking;-by no means fo kind and generous in his conftant practice as his profeffion might feem to promife;-the flave of his paffions, and led away by every fudden feeling that feized his imagination. The Chriftians appear to have been confidered by him as a fect of new philofophers; and, as he judged it improper to perfecute philofophers of any fort, they found a complete toleration under a prince, whofe confcience feems to have fet him free from the influence of all religion.

СНАР.

CHA P. XVII.

FROM THE REIGN OF GALLIENUS TO THE
END OF THE CENTURY.

THE

HE general hiftory of the Church of Chrift, for the remaining forty years of this century, affords no great quantity of materials. After hav. ing collected them into this chapter in order, it may be proper to referve, to a diftinct confideration, the lives of fome particular perfons, and other mifcellaneous matters, which belong not to the thread of the narrative.

We now behold a NEW fcene:-Chriftians legally tolerated under a pagan government for forty years! The example of Gallienus was followed by the fucceffive emperors to the end of the century:It was violated only in one inftance;-the effect of which was prefently diffipated by the hand of providence. This new fcene did not prove favourable to the growth of grace and holinefs. In no period fince the Apoftles was there ever fo great a general decay as in this;-not even in particular inftances, can we difcover, during the fame interval, much of any very lively Chriftianity.

Thofe, however, are not well informed in the nature of the religion of Jefus, who fuppofe, that, literally, there was no perfecution all this time: -True Chriftians are never without fome share of it; nor is it in the power of the best and the mildest governments to protect men of godliness VOL. I. M M

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