of the Rhine and the Soane, (anciently called the Arar) on which it ftands, is for the purposes of commerce. The navigation of the Mediterranean, in all probability, was conducted by merchants of Lyons and of Smyrna, and hence the easy introduction of the gospel from the latter place and the other Afiatic churches is apparent. How much God had bleffed the work in France, the accounts of their fufferings will evince. Lyons and Vienne appear to be daughters, of whom their Afiatic mothers needed not to be ashamed.

The epiftle of the churches of Vienne and Lyons to the brethren in Afia and Phrygia ‡.

The fervants of Chrift, fojourning in Vienne and Lyons in France, to the brethren in Afia propria and Phrygia, who have the fame faith and hope of redemption with us, peace, and grace, and glory from God the Father and Christ Jefus our Lord.

We are not competent to defcribe with accuracy, nor is it in our power to exprefs the greatnefs of the affliction fuftained here by the faints, the intense animofity of the heathen against them, and the complicated fufferings of the bleffed martyrs. The grand enemy affaulted us with all his might, and by his firft effays exhibited intentions of exercising malice without limits and without controul. He left no method untried to habituate his flaves to his bloody work, and to preprepare them by previous exercises against the fervants of God. Chriftians were abfolutely prohibited Q 3 from

When will the moderns learn to connect navigation and commerce with the propagation of the Gospel?

Eufebius does not give the whole of the epiftle at length, but omits fome parts, and interrupts the thread of the narrative. It is not neceffary to notice the particular inftances.

from appearing in any houses, except their own, in baths, in the market, or in any place whatever. The grace of God, however, fought for us, preferving the weak and expofing the ftrong, who, like pillars, were able to withstand him in patience, and to draw the whole fury of the wicked against themselves. These entered into the conteft, fuftaining every species of pain and reproach. What was heavy to others, to them was light, while they were hastening to Chrift, evincing indeed, that the fufferings of this prefent time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. The first trial was from the people at large; fhouts, blows, the dragging of their bodies, the plundering of their goods, cafting of ftones, and the confining of them within their own houfes, and all the indignities which may be expected from a fierce and outrageous multitude, these were magnanimously fuftained. And now, being led into the Forum by the tribune and the magiftrates, they were examined before all the people, whether they were christians, and, on pleading guilty, were fhut up in prifon till the arrival of the governor*. Before him they were at length brought, and he treated us with great favagenefs of manners. The spirit of Vettius Epagathus, one of the brethren, was roufed, a man full of charity both to God and man, whofe conduct was fo exemplary, though but a youth, that he might justly be compared to old Zacharias; for he walked in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless, a man ever unwearied in acts of beneficence to his neighbours, full of zeal towards God, and fervent in fpirit. He could not bear to see so manifeft a perverfion

It is probable, but not quite certain, that this Governor was Severus, afterwards Emperor. The conduct of this Governor was worthy of fo inhuman a Prince.

perverfion of juftice; but, being moved with indignation, he demanded to be heard in behalf of the brethren, and pledged himself to prove that there was nothing atheistic or impious among them, thofe about the tribunal fhouting against him; for he was a man of quality, and the governor being impatient of fo equitable a demand, and only asking him if he were a chriftian, and he confeffing in the most open manner, the confequence was, that he was ranked among the martyrs. He was called, indeed, the Advocate of the Christians; but he had an Advocate within, the Holy Spirit more abundantly than Zacharias, which he demonstrated by the fulness of his charity, cheerfully laying down his life in defence of his brethren; for he was, and is ftill, a genuine difciple of Chrift, following the Lamb whitherfoever he goeth. The reft began now to be distinguished. The capital martyrs appeared indeed ready for the conteft, and discharged their part with all alacrity of mind. Others appeared alfo unready, unexercised, and as yet weak, unable to fuftain the fhock of fuch a contest: of these ten in number lapfed, whofe cafe filled us with great grief and unmeasurable forrow, and dejected the fpirits of those who had not yet been apprehended, who, though they fuftained all indignities, yet deferted not the martyrs in their diftrefs. Then we were all much alarmed, because of the uncertain event

of

It is not eafy to tranflate this, because of the ambiguous ufe of the term Παρακλητον, which fignifies both a comforter and an advocate. Befides their only advocate in heaven, Jefus Christ, chriftians have the comfort and power of his Spirit within.

Every man who reads this mult fee the iniquity and abfurdity of the governor. A term of reproach ftands in the room of argument. The name Chriftian has long ceafed to be infamous. But the words Lollard, Puritan, Pietilt, and Methodist, have supplied its place.

of confeffion, not that we dreaded the torments with which we were threatened, but because we looked forward unto the end, and feared the danger of apoftacy. Perfons were now apprehended daily of fuch as were counted worthy to fill up the number of the lapsed, so that the most excellent were selected from the two churches, even those by whose labour they had been founded and established. There were feized at the fame time fome of our heathen fervants, (for the governor had openly ordered us all to be fought for) who, by the impulse of Satan, fearing the torments which they faw inflicted on the Saints, on the fuggeftion of the foldiers, accufed us of eating human flesh, and of unnatural mixtures, and of things not fit even to be mentioned or imagined, and fuch as ought not to be believed of mankind 1. These things being divulged, all were incenfed even to madness against us; fo that if fome were formerly more moderate on account of any connections of blood, affinity, or friendship, they were then tranfported beyond all bounds with indignation. Now it was that our Lord's word was fulfilled, "The time will come when whofoever "killeth you will think that he doeth God fer"vice." The holy martyrs now fuftained tortures which exceed the powers of defcription; Satan labouring, by means of them, to extort fomething flanderous to chriftianity. The whole fury of the multitude, the governor, and the foldiers, was spent in a particular manner on Sanctus of

Hence I judge that their churches were of no great antiquity. Here we fee again the ufual charge of unnatural crimes objected to the chriftians, believed in the paroxyfm of the perfecution, but afterwards generally disclaimed by fober perfons.

Surely they needed much the aid of the Heavenly Comforter, promifed in thofe difcourfes, to enable them to sustain the load of calumny fo injurious and diftreffing.

of Vienne, the deacon, and on Maturus, a late convert indeed, but a magnanimous wrestler, and on Attalus of Pergamus, a man who had ever been the pillar and fupport of our church, * and on Blandina, through whom Chrift fhewed, that those things, that appear unfightly and contemptible among men, are most honourable in the prefence of God, on account of love to his name, exhibited in real energy, and not boasting in pompous pretences. For while we all feared, and among the reft her mistress, according to the flesh, herself one of the noble army of martyrs, was afraid that he would not be able to witness a good confeffion, because of the weaknefs of her body, Blandina was endued with fo much fortitude, that those who fucceffively tortured her from morning to night, were quite worn out with fatigue, and owned themfelves conquered and exhaufted of their whole apparatus of tortures, and were amazed to fee her ftill breathing, whilft her body was torn and laid open, and confeffed that one fpecies of torture had been fufficient to dif patch her, much more fo great a variety as had been applied. But the bleffed woman, as a generous wrestler, recovered fresh vigour in the act of confeffion; and it was an evident refreshment, fupport, and an annihilation of all her pains to fay, "I am a chriftian, and no evil is committed among us."

In the mean-time Sanctus having fuftained, in a manner more than human, the moft barbarous indignities, while the impious hoped to extort from him fomething injurious to the gospel, from the duration and intenfenefs of his fufferings, refifted with fo much firmness, that he would neither tell

A farther confirmation of the idea that the Gofpel had been brought into France by the charitable zeal of the Afiatic christians,