盟。 Chap. 1. Persecution. 127 to age or sex, were burnt or otherwise miserably destroyed. The martyrdom of PETER, one of the emperer's household, is worthy of note. Being impeached as a Christian, he was, by his master's orders, and in bis presence, scourged with the most inhuman severity, till his bones were laid bare. He, still refusing to saerifice, was rubbed with salt, and bathed in vinegar; but he still refused to submit, and was therefore, for his obstinacy, burnt to death in a slow fire. The wife and daughters of Dioclesian did but just escape; for, being suspected of a secret predilection in favour of Christianity, they were compelled to honour the gods. From the great and general defection in the church, before the breaking out of the persecution, it were to be feared that such genuine fortitude and truly Christian decision would not have been so abundantly found; but it appeared, upon the trial, that great numbers had embraced the gospel upon the best and surest principles, else there could not have been such a noble stand for its honour. It came to pass, as in all former persecutions, many apostatized, but the greater part that came to the test resisted unto blood, and plainly discovered whose disciples they were. To give a minute detail of the suffering of the church would more than fill a volume; and indeed to relate the whole would be impossible, as the sufferings of thousands were never recorded, and multitudes were put to death in obscurity, without having an opportunity of telling to any one the tale of their woes. Viewing this persecution in its general procedure, is quite enough to convince us, that the destruction of the poor Christians must have been great and terrible. The orders were sent throughout all the empire, to its remotest provinces ; and in general these orders were executed with 1.26 Persecution. Cent. 4. a shocking faithfulness. To have totally destroyed the Christian faith, and the Christian name, was the object of these savage monarchs, and therefore the measures they adopted were the most severe and operative. Not content with the common modes of execution and torture, they contrived plans for dispatching their designs as extensively as they were cruel. Many were chained together, and burnt in one great fire. Others were fastened in a similar manner, with mill-stones tied to their necks, and thrown into the sea. In one instance, a city, chiefly inhabited by Christians, was beset and surrounded by the soldiers, in order to prevent the escape of any, and set fire to in various parts, so that the whole were destroyed. Men were tied by their hands up to the trees; they were fastened to the pillars, to the porticos, and to the colonnades of the public buildings, where they were left to expire. Some, for the entertainment of princes and people, were made to face the gladiators, and others the wild beasts. Multitudes were banished to the deserts, and left to famine and nakedness; others were condemned to the mines: many of the bishops were made to serve in the field, to take care of the emperor's horses and camels ; and vast numbers were scattered over the country, with the loss of an eye, an arm, or a leg, by which they were marked as the contemptible followers of the Galilean, and unworthy of the name of men. While these things were going on, Divine Providence was raising up a friend and protector for his almost despairing and destroyed church. Constantius, in his departiment of government, had never gone the same lengths in persecuting, as his colleagues had done. So far from it, he reluctantly yielded to execute the ediets, and indeed was rather the friend than the destroyer of Chap. 1. Constantius. 129 Christians, though he dared not seem to be so. He, therefore, agreeably to imperial orders, pulled down churches, but took care to let the worshippers themselves escape. He also ordered all Christians in his service to sacrifice or to quit, but he showed the faithful peculiar favour, notwithstanding they refused to sacrifice, and retained them in his household as servants the most worthy of his confidence. Happy for Gaul and Britain, in a season like this, that such a man as Constantius held the reigns of power. It is through the medium of this prince, as we shall hereafter see, that a gracious Providence brought about the triumphs and the toleration of Christianity. Notwithstanding the agreement between Dioclesian and his cæsar Galerius, in persecuting the church, there was no real friendship between them. Galerius was, all this time, concerting measures for the overthrow of his imperial masters, Dioclesian and Maximian; and at length succeeding, he compelled them to resign their dignity, and retire from court. He had now only to get rid of Constantius, and then all the power, he expected would devolve on himself. There were two circumstances which tended greatly to inspire this vain expeetation. Constantius was in an ill state of health, and not likely to live long; and his son Constantine, was not in Britain with his father, but kept at the court of Galerius as a kind of hostage, so that, on the death of Constantius, he had only to dispatch the son, and the whole government would become his. But there is no counsel, nor device, nor imagination, against the Lord. The declining health of Constantius induced him to send for his son, but the crafty and ambitious Galerius refused to give him up; Constantine foreseeing the danper to which he stood exposed, resolved to attempt an 130 Constantine. Cent. 4. escape, which he happily effected, though with much difficulty, and arrived at York just before his father expired. The army, without delay, announced Constantine emperor of the West, to the no small mortification of Galerius. But all this, though contrary to the plans of Galerius, was legal and according to precedent, and against which it was not safe for him to institute any opposition. He therefore seemed to submit, but at the same time entertained hopes of succeeding against the man whom he considered in no other light than his rival. But the counsel of the Lord must stand. And thus he appeared for the people of his choice, and raised them up a deliverer, and a strong one, whom he girded with strength, and before whom he beat down the enemy and the avenger. CHAPTER II. STATE OF THE CHURCH FROM THE RETIREMENT OF DIOCLESIAN TO THE TRIUMPHS OF CONSTANTINE. Death of Galerius-Maximin-Licinius-Constantine's vision. THIS period exhibits two emperors of a very different cast, though at the head of the same government. Constantine had from early life, imbibed prejudices very favourable to Christianity. Galerius was a character the very reverse: he was the principal abettor of the great persecution, and it was not likely such a spirit should be laid, by the increase of power. In his department of government, we are therefore to look for a con Chap. 2. Constantine. 121 tinuance of those bloody deeds, earried on before, under the sanction of Dioclesian. At this time there was no small contention between the emperors, and their cæsars, about the supreme power. The title of cæsar was in near affiiity to that of augustus, the powers of each were then thwarting the operations of one another. And the old emperors too, whom Galerius had constrained to resign, were retired, but not dead. Such a motly system of government as this, must necessarily give rise to, and tend to keep alive, the most tormenting jealousies. Each prince had his favourites, and these again had their favourite prinees. Great was the power and influence of the army, and that prince, whether acknowledged as cæsar or augustus, who had the greatest share in the affections of the soldiers, was likely to be the most successful in his enterprises. On the death of Constantius, the army adjudged the imperial purple to Constantine, which, barely receiving the approbation of Galerius, occasioned in the issue, considerable animosity and dispute. However, such was the character of Constantine, and such his influence among the soldiers, that he had but little to fear from his enemies. The division of the empire at this time stood thus. The Eastern department included Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, with very considerable territory on every hand. The Western, comprised part of Africa, Sicily, Italy, Spain, Gaul, Germany, and Britain. The former of these divisions was governed by Galerius, the Jatter by Constantine, except Africa and Italy, these his father had voluntarily given up to his colleague. Galerius being thus in possession of so much country, and feeling the whole heavy upon his hand, appointed the |