the court. Alpheus and Zacchæus alone of all thefe bishops of Paleftina, fuffered death at this time. Tortured for twenty-four hours, after having undergone exceffive feverities before, they manfully confeffed one only God, and one only Saviour Christ, and were at laft beheaded. On the fame day, at Antioch, Romanus, a deacon of the church of Cæfarea, was martyred. He happening to enter Antioch at the very time when the churches were demolished, faw many men and women with their little ones, crowding to the temples and facrifices, moft probably Chriftian apoftates*. The fame fpirit which moved Mattathias, the father of the Maccabees, on a like occafion, was felt by Romanus, but exerted in a manner more agreeable to the Christian difpenfation. He cried aloud, and rebuked their cowardice and perfidy. But being feized immediately, and condemned to the flames, and faftened to the ftake, while the executioners expected the definitive order of the emperor then prefent, (Galerius moft probably) he asked cheerfully, Where is the fire for me? Cæfar, provoked at his boldness, ordered his tongue to be cut out. He put out his tongue with great readiness. After this punishment he was thrown into prifon, and fuffered there a confiderable time. His feet were expofed to an unnatural diftenfion, and in the end he was difmiffed out of life by ftrangling. This happened during the first year of the perfecution, while it raged only against the governors of the church. In the fecond year, when the perfecution grew hotter, Imperial letters were fent into Paleftine, commanding all men, without exception, to facrifice. At Gaza, Timotheus, after many fufferings, was confumed by a flow fire; Agapius and Thecla were * So a difcourfe of Eufebius on the refurrection teaches us. See B. on the Martyrs of Palestine, C. II. Valefius in the notes. were condemned to the wild beafts. At this time' when many apoftatized to fave their lives, there wanted not alfo fome inftances of an exceffive for→ wardness. Six perfons at Cæfarea, with their hands bound, ran to Urbanus the Judge, and offered themselves for martyrdom. They fuffered, in conjunction with two others, whofe fpirit and circumftances in the manner of their departure out of life, were more conformable to the rules of the Gofpel. Power being now communicated to the governors of the different provinces to punish the Chriftians freely, each exercifed it, as his particular temper dictated. Some for fear of difpleafing, did even more than they were ordered. Some felt the impulfe of their own enmity against godlinefs; others indulged a natural favageness of difpofition; there were who faw, that to fhed blood profufely, was the high road to preferment. There were thofe, (and Lactantius* looks on them as of the worst fort), who determined to torment, and not to kill. These ftudied the arts of torture, which might keep life ftill in being amidst the keenest fenfations of pain. Eufebius tells us, that he himfelf, heard fome of this fort boafting, that their administration was not polluted with blood, and that he faw a Bithynian governor exulting, as if he had fubdued a nation of Barbarians, because one person, after two years refiftance, had yielded to the force of torments. Much pains were taken alfo with the tortured, to recover them, that they might be ftrengthened to endure new punishments. A confiderable part of Roman jurifprudence was now employed on this fubject. The conftitutions of the law on this head had been published and commented on by the famous lawyer Ulpian, and were confidered as ferious objects of study by civilians. At no time fince the beginning of Christianity, was fo fyftematical and fo laboured an effort made to extinguish the gospel of Chrift. Satan had great wrath, as if he had foreseen that he should have but fhort time; and when we confider how poorly provided the church was for this the fierceft of all the invafions fhe had ever met with, we fhall fee cause to admire the grace of God, who yet furnished out a noble army of martyrs in a time of fo great Evangelical declenfion; and more effectually than ever baffled in the end the defigns of Satan In addition to other methods of perfecution, the powers of genius and the arts of eloquence were introduced. Cyprian alone of the Latin writers was capable of pleafing the tafte of the learned among the Pagans. A certain perfon of taste among them, was heard by Lactantius, to call him Coprianus *, because he employed an elegant genius, adapted to better things, in the fupport of old wives' fables. In fo contemptible a light did the gospel appear to the learned of that day, even when clothed in the drefs of the eloquent Cyprian! how much more contemptible, in the drefs of the generality of Christian teachers, who were deftitute of the powers of argument and of language. Encouraged by the favour of the emperors, and the apparently ruined ftate of Chriftendom, at the very time when the perfecution raged in Bythinia, two writers appeared, who infulted the Chriftians. One, whofe name Lactantius does not give us, was a philosopher, and like many preachers of morality in all ages, a defender of virtue, and a practitioner of vice. A flatterer of the court, very rich and very corrupt, one who condemned his own practice by * Lactan. B. V. 1, 2. the allufion is to xorgia, dung. his his moral writings, and who dealt largely in the praises of the emperors, on account of their great piety in fupporting the religion of the gods. Yet all men condemned his meannefs in choofing that time particularly to write againft Chriftians, nor did he obtain the favour at court which he expected. The other writer, Hierocles, was doubtless a man of parts and talents. He was a virulent enemy of the gofpel, had a great influence in promoting the perfecution, and from being a judge in Nicomedia was promoted to the government of Alexandria. He attempted to compare the feigned miracles of Apollonius Tyanæus with thofe of Jefus Chrift. This man wrote with an air of candour and humanity to the Chriftians, while his actions against them were fierce and bloody. In France alone, and its neighbourhood, the people of God found fome thelter. Yet was the mild Conftantius, to fave appearances with his fuperior Maximian, induced to perfecute not only by deftroying the temples, as was mentioned, but alfo by ordering thofe of his own houthold to quit the fervice, who would not retract Chriftianity. The Chriftians of his family were tried by this means. But the event was contrary to their expectations. Conftantius retained the faithful, and difmiffed the apoftates, judging that those who were unfaithful to their God, would alfo be fo to their prince. At Cirta in Numidia, Paul, the bishop, ordered a fub-deacon to deliver up the treafures of the church to a Roman officer. The Holy Scriptures and the moveables of this fociety of Chriftians were furrendered by the perfidy or cowardice of those who ought to have protected them. But God referved fome, who were endowed with courage and zeal, at the hazard of their lives, to take care of the facred writings, and baffle the intention of the perfecutors, which doubt lefs lefs was to destroy all records of Christianity among men. Felix of Tibiura, in Africa, being asked to deliver up the Scriptures, anfwered, I have them, but will not part with them. He was ordered to be beheaded. "I thank thee, O Lord, says this honest martyr, that I have lived fifty-fix years, have kept my virginity, have preferved the Gofpel, and have preached faith and truth. O my Lord Jefus Christ, the God of heaven and earth, I bow my head to be facrificed to thee, who liveft to all eternity." I judge it not amifs to distinguish this man in the narrative. The preservation of civil liberty is valuable, and the names of men who have fuffered for it with integrity, are recorded with honour. But how much below the name of Felix of Tibiura, fhould thefe be accounted! He is one of thofe heroes who has preferved to us the precious Word of God itself. In Abitina, in Africa, forty-nine manfully perished through hunger and ill treatment. In Sicily*, Euplius a martyr being asked," why do you keep the Scriptures, forbidden by the Emperors," answered, "because I am a Chriftian. Life eternal is in them; he that gives them up, lofes life eternal." Let his name be remembered with honour, together with that of Felix. He fuffered alfo in the fame caufe. Various martyrs fuffered in Italy. For Maximian was to the full as much difpofed to perfecute as Dioclefian. In the year 305, a civil change took place in A.D. the empire, which paved the way for very important 305. changes in the Church, though the perfecution continued ftill for fome time. Dioclefian refigned the empire, and Maximian followed his example, though with no great cordiality. They were fucceeded by Galerius in the Eaft, (who ruled in the room of Dioclefian, Acta fincera. Fleury. |