the best times, without their fhare of it; nor is it in the power of the best governments to protect men of godliness from the malice of the world in all cafes. We faw an inftance of this in the reign of Commodus; fee another under the reign of Gallienus. At Cæfarea in Palestine there was one Marinus a foldier of great bravery, of noble family, and very opulent. The office of centurion being vacant, Marinus was called to it. Another foldier came before the tribunal, and faid that by the laws Marinus was incapacitated, because he was a christian and did not do facrifice to the emperors; but that he himself, as next in rank, ought to have it. Achæus the governor afked Marinus what was his religion; on which he confeffed himself a chriftian. The governor gave him three hours fpace to deliberate. Upon this Theotecnes, bishop of Cæfarea, calls Marinus from the tribunal, takes him by the hand, and leads him to the church, fhews him the fword that hung by his fide, and a New Teftament which he pulled out of his pocket, and bids him choofe which of the two he liked beft. Marinus, ftretching out his right hand, takes up the Holy Scripture. "Hold fast then," faid Theotecnes, "cleave to God, and what you have chofen you shall enjoy, being strengthened by him, and depart in peace." After he had returned thence he was by the crier's voice ordered to appear again at the bar, the time of three hours being expired. There he manfully confeffed the faith of Chrift, heard the fentence of condemnation, and was beheaded.

Without more acquaintance with the particular inftitutes of Roman law on this fubject, it is not easy to reconcile this proceeding with the edict of Gallienus. Perhaps the act of Achæus K k

Eufeb. book 7, chap. 14.

was

was illegal, or fome particular military law might stand against the martyr. The fact however refts on the best authority, and the profeffion of arms had still thofe among them who loved Jefus, fince the days of Cornelius.

The greateft luminary in the church at this time was Dionyfius of Alexandria. His works are loft; but a few extracts of them preferved by Eufebius have been given, and fome few more may here be introduced. Speaking of the Sabellian herefy, which had now made its appearance, he says:

"As many brethren have fent their books and difputations in writing to me concerning the impious doctrine lately fown at Pentapolis in Ptolemais, containing many blafphemies against the Almighty God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and alfo much infidelity concerning his only-begotten Son, the first begotten of every creature, and the word incarnate, and alfo fenfelefs ignorance of the Holy Ghoft, fome of them I have tranfcribed and fent the copies to you."

This is the first account of the origin of Sabellianifm, a plaufible corruption, no doubt, perhaps the most fo of all thofe which oppofe the mystery of the Trinity. But like all the reft it fails for want of fcripture evidence, and fhews itfelf only to be a weak attempt to lower to human reafon, what was never meant to be amenable to its tribunal. The careful diftinctions of Dionyfius, in recounting the perfons of the Trinity, were very proper in fpeaking of an herefy which confounds the perfons, and leaves them nothing of thofe diftinct characters on which the nature of the gospel fo much depends.

*Book 7, chap. 5.

This

This bishop alfo delivers his fentiments in the controverfy concerning the re-baptizing of heretics against the practice, and he condemns with great feverity the Novatian fchifm, because, says he," it charges the most loving and merciful God with unmercifulness *." Yet in the former fubject he confeffes himself staggered, for the prefent at least, in his opinion by a certain fact.

When the brethren were gathered together, a certain perfon allowed to be found in the faith, an ancient minifter of the clergy, before my time, being present when fome were baptized, and hearing the interrogatories and refponfes, came to me weeping and wailing, and falling proftrate at my feet, protefted that the baptifm which he had received being heretical, could not be the true baptifm, and had no agreement with that which was in use among us, being full of impiety and blafphemy. He owned that the diflrefs of his conscience was extreme, that he durft not presume to lift up his eyes to God, because he had been bap tized with profane words and rites. He begged therefore to be baptized, which I durft not do, but told him that frequent communion many times administered might fuffice him. When he had heard thanksgiving founded in the church, and had fung to it Amen; when he had been prefent at the Lord's table, and had ftretched forth his hand to receive the holy food, and had communicated, and of a long time had been partaker of the body and blood of our Lord Jefus Christ, I durft not re-baptize him, but bade him be of good cheer and of a fure faith, and boldly approach to the communion of faints. Notwithtanding all this, the man mourneth continually, his horror keeps him from the Lord's table, and Kk 2

*Book 7, chap. 7.

he

he fcarce with much intreaty can join in the prayers of the church."

We have no farther account of this matter. The man was one of thofe whom there is all reafon to believe the God of Grace would in due time relieve The deteftation of herefy, and the marked distinction of true christianity from it, were as yet in fome circumftances carried into an extreme Dif cipline was hitherto not neglected in the church: On the whole, it was, as I have observed, exceffive even to fuperftition. Satan's temptations are ever ready to drive into defpair truly penitent and contrite fpirits. The whole ftory breathes a fpirit the very antipode to the licentious boldnefs of our times, and marks the peculiar character of the piety of the age of Dionyfius, fincere, but mixt with fuperftition *.

The celebration of the feaft of Eafter and of other holy days forms the fubject of another of his epiftles. It will fuffice juft to have mentioned this..

Dionyfius had now returned from exile to Alexandria, and found it involved in the horrors of a civil War. On the feaft of Eatter, as if he was ftill in banishment, he wrote to his people, who were in another part of the city, with which he could have no intercourfe. Writing to Hierax an Egyptian bishop at fome diftance, he fays, "It is not to be wondered at, that it is difficult for me to converse by epiftles with those at a distance, when I find myfelf here precluded from having any intercourse with my own bowels. I am conftrained to write to them, though citizens of the fame church, and how my writings may be conveyed to them seems difficult. A man may more eafily travel from east to weit than from Alexandria

* Eufeb. book 7, chap. 8.-See Greek.

to

to Alexandria. The middle road of this city is more impaffable than that vaft wilderness which the Ifraelites wandered through in two generations." He goes on to defcribe the miseries of war and bloodshed, of plagues and difeafes, with which Alexandria at that time abounded, and complains that the people ftill repented not of their fins."

Writing to the brethren, he says, "Now every thing is full of lamentations, every one does nothing but mourn and howl through the city, because of the multitude of corpfes and the daily deaths. Many of our brethren, because of their great love and brotherly charity, fparing not themielves, cleaved one to another; visited the fick without fear or caution, and attended upon them diligently; and in doing these things they loft their own lives, by catching the infection, and voluntarily transferred the forrows of others upon themfeives. In this manner the best of our brethren departed this life, of whom fome were prefbyters, fome deacons, highly reverenced by the common people." He then goes on to obferve with what care and affection the chriftians attended the funerals of their friends, while the pagans in the fame city, through fear of catching the infection, deferted and neglected theirs. Undoubtedly he deicribes here a ftrong picture of the charity of chriftians, and of the feififhnefs of other men. It belongs to true chriftianity to produce fuch fruits, though in fome refpects they might be carried farther than real chriftian prudence would vindicate. But every lover of Jefus is refreshed to find the certain marks of his fpirit and prefence among his people.

There was one Nepos, an Egyptian bishop, who taught that the Millennium was to commence K k 3

after