Thebais; they were quartered in the east, till the emperor Maximian ordered them to march for Gaul, to assist him against the rebels in Burgundy; when passing the Alps into Gaul, under the command of Mauritius Candiaso and Experuis, their commanders, they at length joined the emperor. About this time, Max

imian ordered a general sacrifice, at which the whole army were to assist; and he commanded, that they should take the oaths of allegiance, and swear, at the same time, to assist him in the extirpation of Christianity in Gaul.

Terrified at these orders, each individual of the Theban legion absolutely refused either to sacrifice, or to take the oath prescribed. This so enraged Maximian, that he ordered the legion to be decimated; that is, every tenth man to be selected from the rest and put to the sword. This cruel order having been put into execution, those who remained alive were still inflexible, when a second decimation took place, and every tenth man of those living were again put to the sword. But this second severity made no more impression than the first had done; the soldiers preserved their fortitude and principles; but, by the advice of their officers, drew up a remonstrance to the emperor, in which they told him "that they were his subjects and his soldiers, but could not at the same time forget the Almighty; that they received their pay from him, and their existence from God.

"While your commands (say they) are not contradictory to those of our common Master, we shall always be ready to obey, as we have been hitherto; but when the orders of our prince and the Almighty differ, we must always obey the latter. Our arms are devoted to the emperor's use, and shall be directed against his enemies; but we cannot submit to stain our hands with the effusion of Christian blood; and how, indeed, could you, O emperor, be sure of our allegiance and fidelity, should we violate our obligations to our God, in whose service we were solemnly engaged before we entered into the army? You command us

to search out and destroy the Christians; it is not necessary to look any further for persons of that denomination; we ourselves are such, and we glory in the name. We saw our companions fall without the least opposition or murmuring, and thought them happy in dying for the sake of Christ. Nothing shall make us lift up our hands against our sovereign; we had rather die wrongfully, and by that means preserve our innocence, than live under a load of guilt; whatever you command we are ready to suffer; we confess ourselves to be Christians, and therefore cannot persecute Christians, nor sacrifice to idols."

Such a declaration, it might be presumed, would have affected the emperor, but it had a contrary effect; for, enraged at their perseverance and unanimity, he commanded that the whole legion should be put to death, which was accordingly executed by the other troops, who cut them to pieces with their swords.-Milner's History of Christian Martyrdom.

12. WILLINGNESS OF THE ANCIENT CHRISTIANS TO SUFFER FOR CHRIST'S SAKE.

THE ancient Christians counted it an honour to suffer for their religion, and oftentimes gave up their lives with joy, for the sake of their Lord.

In the fourth century, the emperor Valens ordered the Christians in Edessa to be slain, on a certain day, while they were at their devotions, in their churches. The officers, however, being more compassionate than the emperor, privately gave notice to the Christians not to assemble on the day appointed, so that they might escape death. The Christians thanked the officers for their advice, but disregarded both that and the emperor's menaces, rather than neglect their duty. They accordingly repaired to the church, and the troops were put in motion to destroy them. As they marched along, a woman, with a child in her arms, broke through their ranks, when the officer ordered her to be brought before him, and asked her where she was

going? She replied, to the church, whither others were making all the haste they could. "Have you not heard," says the officer, "of the emperor's order, to put to death all who are found there?""I have," says she, "and for that cause I make the more haste."

"And whither," said the officer, "do you lead that child ?"—"I take him," replied she," with me, that he also may be reckoned in the number of the martyrs." Upon this, the humane officer returned to the emperor, and told him that all the Christians were prepared to die in defence of their faith, represented to him the rashness of murdering so great a multitude, and entreated the emperor to drop the design, at least for the present; with which he at length complied.-Milner's History of Christian Martyrdom.

13. LETTER OF PLINY TO TRAJAN, RELATIVE TO THE FIRST CHRISTIANS.

IN the conduct and writings of ancient pagans, a great variety of important testimonies to the truth and spread of the Christian religion, and the purity of Christian principles, may be found. But perhaps in no instance is this testimony so clear, and yet so undesignedly given, as in the epistle of Caius Plinius, or "the younger Pliny" (so called), addressed to the Roman emperor Trajan.

Pliny was born A. D. 61, or 62, and about 107 was sent to the provinces of Pontus and Bithynia, by Trajan, to exercise the office of governor. The persecutions of Christians, under Trajan, had commenced about 100; and in these provinces, there were prodigious numbers of them, against whom Pliny, by the emperor's edict, was obliged to use all manner of severity. But being a person of good sense and moderation, he judged it prudent, before he proceeded to the extreme rigour of the law, to represent the case to Trajan, and receive further orders concerning it. He therefore wrote the following letter:-" Pliny, to the emperor Trajan, wisheth health and happiness :-It is

In the Fourth Century, the Emperor Valens having ordered the Christians to be slain who were found assembled in Churches, a woman with her child broke through the ranks of the soldiery, in order to enter the Church and to be reckoned among the martyrs.