Thefe are, as it were, the depofits of piety. Hence we relieve and bury the needy, fupport orphans and decrepid perfons, those who have fuffered fhipwreck, and those who, for the Word of God, are condemned to the mines, or imprisonment. This very charity of ours has caused us to be noticed by fome; fee, fay they, how they love one another."

He afterwards takes notice of the extreme readinefs with which chriftians paid the taxes to government, in oppofition to the fpirit of fraud and deceit, with which fo many acted in these matters. But I must not enlarge; the reader may form an idea of the purity, integrity, heavenly-mindedness, and paffiveness under injuries, for which the first christians were fo juftly renowned. The effect of that glorious effufion of the Divine Spirit in external things was the production of this meek and charitable conduct, and every evidence that can be defired is given to evince the truth of this account. The confeffion of enemies unites here with the relations of friends.

I fhall close the account of Tertullian with a few facts taken from his Addrefs to Scapula, the perfecuting governor, without any remarks.

"Claudius Herminianus, in Cappadocia, vexed because his wife was become a chriftian, cruelly treated the chriftians. Being eaten with worms, let no one, fays he, know it, left the chriftians rejoice. Afterwards knowing his error, because he had by force of torments caufed fome to abjure christianity, he died almost a chriftian himself.

Cincius Severus, at Thiftrum, himself taught christians how to anfwer fo as to obtain their difmiffion.

See the foregoing account of Peregrinus, page 266.

Afper

Afper having moderately tortured a perfon and brought him to fubmit, would not compel him to facrifice, having before declared among the advocates, that he was vexed that he had any thing to do with fuch a caufe.

The Emperor Severus himself was in one part of his life kind to the chriftians. Proculus, a christian, had cured him of a diforder by the use of oil, and he kept him in his palace to his death, a person well known to Caracalla the fucceffor of Severus, whofe nurse was a chriftian. Even perfons of the highest quality, of both fexes, Severus protected and commended openly against the raging populace.

Arrius Antoninus, in Afia, perfecuting vehemently, all the chriftians of the state, prefented themselves in a body, and he, leading a few to death, difmiffed the reft, faying, "If you want to die, wretched men, ye may find precipices and halters."

СНАР. III.

PANTÆNUS.

NE of the most respectable cities within the precincts of the Roman empire was Alexandria the metropolis of Egypt. Here the gospel had been planted by St. Mark, and from the confiderable fuccefs which had attended it in moft capital towns, it is probable that many were converted. But of the first paftors of this church, and of the work of God among them, we have no account. Our more diftin&t information begins with what is evil. The Platonic Philofophers

ruled

ruled the taste of this city, which piqued itfelf on its fuperior erudition. Ammonius Saccas had, as we have feen, reduced there the notions of the learned into a fyftem, which pretended to embrace all forts of fentiments, and his fucceffors for feveral ages followed his plan. We are told, that from St. Mark's time, a chriftian catechetical fchool was fupported here. Whether it be fo or not, Pantænus is the first mafter of it of whom we have any account. It fhould feem from a paffage of Eufebius, that he was an Hebrew by descent. He had by tradition the true doctrine, received from Peter, James, John, and Paul; and no doubt he deserved this teftimony of Eusebius, notwithstanding the unhappy mixture of philofophy which he imbibed in this region. For Pantænus was very much addicted to the fect of the Stoics, a fort of romantic pretenders to perfection, which doctrine flattered human pride, but was furely ill adapted to our natural imbecility and the views of innate depravity. The combination of this with chriftianity muft have debafed the Divine doctrine very much in the fyftem of Pantænus; and though his inftructions clouded the light of the gofpel among thofe who were difpofed implicitly to follow his dictates, yet it is not improbable, but that many of the fimple and illiterate chriftians there might happily efcape the infection, and preferve, unadulterated, the genuine fimplicity of the faith of Chrift. The bait of reafoning pride lies more in the way of the learned, and in all ages they are more prone to fnatch at it.

Pantænus always retained the title of the Stoic Philofopher, after he had been admitted to eminent employments in the Chriftian church . For ten years

* B. 5. C. 10.

+ Cave's Life of Pantænus.

years he laboriously discharged the office of Catechist, and freely taught all that defired him, whereas the fchool of his predeceffors had been more private.

Some Indian Ambaffadors (from what part of India they came, it is not eafy to determine) intreated Demetrius, then Bishop of Alexandria, to send them fome worthy perfon to preach the faith in their country. Pantanus was fixed on as the perfon, and the hardships he must have endured in it were doubtless great. But there were at that time * many Evangelifts, who had the Apoftolical fpirit to propagate the faith at the hazard of their lives. And as Pantænus very freely complied with this call, we have here one of the best proofs of his being poffeffed of the spirit of the gospel. His labours among ignorant Indians, where neither fame, nor eafe, nor profit were attainable, appear to me much more fubftantial proofs of his godliness, than his catechetical employments at Alexandria could be. The former would oblige him to attend chiefly to chriftian fundamentals, and could afford little opportunity of indulging the philofophic fpirit. We are told he found in India the Gospel of St. Matthew, which had been carried thither by the Apoftle Bartholomew, who had first preached amongst them. I mention this, but much doubt the truth of it. Of the particular fuccefs of his labours we have no account; but he lived to return to Alexandria, and refumed his catechetical office. He died not long after the commencement of the third century. He used to inftruct more by word than by writing. Some Commentaries on the Scriptures are all that are mentioned as his, and of them not a fragment Candour,

remains.

* Euseb. B. 5. C. 9.

Candour, I think, requires us to look on him as a fincere christian, whofe fruitfulness was yet very much checked by that very philofophy for which Eufebius fo highly commends him. A blafting wind it furely was, but it did not intirely destroy christian vegetation in all whom it infected. Behold now his Difciple, from whom we may fee more clearly what the Mafter was, because we have more evidence concerning him. But the christian reader is prepared to expect a declenfion in divine things, in the state of the church before us,

CHA P. IV,

HE

CLEMENS ALEXANDRINUS.

E was, by his own confeffion, a scholar of Pantænus, and of the fame philofophical caft of mind. He was of the Eclectic fect. It is fincerely to be regretted that Clemens had any acquaintance with them; fo far as he mixed chriftianity with their notions, fo far he tarnifhed it, and by his zeal, activity, learning, and reputation, at the fame time that he taught many, he clouded the light of the gofpel among thofe, who yet in fundamentals were profited by his inftruction. Hear how he describes himself: "I efpoufe not this or that philofophy, not the Stoic, nor the Platonic, nor the Epicurean, nor that of Aristotle; but whatever any of these fects had faid, that was fit and juft, that taught righteousness with a divine and religious knowledge, felecting all this I call it philofophy."

* Strom. L. 1. See Cave's Life of Clemens.

It