this first instance of a chriftian bishop fo fhamefully fecular, and that on the most authentic evidence; but it is pleasant to fee fo many fhewing a becoming zeal for truth and holiness. Dionyfius of Rome died also this year. His fucceffor Felix wrote an epiftle to Maximus of Alexandria, in which he speaks thus, probably on account of Paul's herefy: "We believe that our Saviour Jefus Chrift was born of the Virgin Mary; we believe that he himself is the eternal God and the Word, and not a man whom God hath taken into himself, fo as that man should be diftinct from him; for the Son of God being perfect God, was also made perfect man, being incarnate of the Virgin *. For two or three years Paul fupported himself in the poffeffion of the mother-church of Antioch, and of the epifcopal house, and of courfe of fo much of the revenues as depended not on voluntary contributions of the people, by the favour of Zenobia. A party he doubtlefs had among the people; but the horror which Socinianifm, then at least, excited through the christian world, as well as the flagitioufnefs of his life, render it impoffible that he should have had the hearts of the chriftians of Antioch at large; and Zenobia being conquered by the Emperor Aurelian, a change took place; the chriftians complained; Aurelian looking on Rome and Italy as in all things a guide to the rest of the world, ordered that the controversy should be decided according to the fentiments of their bifhops. Of course Paul was fully expelled, and we hear no more of him in hiftory. Aurelian hitherto had been the friend of chriftians, but pagan fuperftition and its abettors drove him at length into meafures of perfecution. The christians Conc. Eph.-See Fleury, book 8, chap. 4. christians were in full expectation of fanguinary treatment, when his death prevented his defigns, in the year two hundred and feventy-five. Tacitus the fucceffor of Aurelian, after a fhort reign, left the empire to Probus, in whofe fecond year, A. D. two hundred and feventy-feven, appeared the monftrous herefy of Mancs, whofe fundamental principle was to account for the origin of evil, by the admiffion of two firft caufes independant of each other. But I write not a history of herefies; it has been performed but too accurately by many, while we have very fcanty information of the progrefs of true religion. This herefy continued long to infeft the church, and neceffity will oblige me hereafter, if this work be continued, to notice it more diftinctly. Eufebius gives us here the names and characters of feveral bishops, who fucceffively held feveral fees. He fpeaks highly of the learning and philofophy of fome, and of the moral good qua lities of others. Of Pamphilus, a minifter in Cæfarea of Palestine, he speaks with all the ardour of affection; but the best thing he afferts of him is, that he fuffered much in perfecution, and was martyred at laft. But this must have been in Dioclefian's perfecution, the time of which begins juft after the limits prefcribed to this volume. After Probus, Carus, and his two fons, Dioclefian began to reign in the year two hundred and eighty-four. For about eighteen years this emperor was extremely indulgent to the chriftians. His wife Prifca and daughter Valeria were chriftians in some fenfe fecretly. The eunuchs of his palace and his most important officers were chriitians, and with their wives and families openly profeffed the gofpel. Chriftians held honourable offices in various parts of the empire; innumerable LI crowds crowds attended christian worship; the old buildings could no longer receive them, and in all cities wide and large edifices were erected *. If Chrift's kingdom had been of this world, and its ftrength and beauty were to be ineasured by fecular profperity, we fhould here fix the æra of its greatness. But, on the contrary, the æra of of its decline must be dated during the pacific time of Dioclefian. During this whole century the work of God in purity and power had been declining; the connection with philofophers had been one of the principal caules; outward peace and fecular advantages now completed the corruption; difcipline, which had been too ftrict, was now relaxed exceedingly; bishops and people were in a state of malice, and quarrels without end were fomented one among another; and ambition and covetoufnefs had now the afcendency pretty generally in the christian church. Some there doubtlefs were who mourned in fecret and ftrove in vain to stop the abounding torrent of evil. The truth of this account feems much confirmed by the extreme dearth of real chriftian excellencies from the death of Dionyfius. None feem, for the fpace of thirty years, to have arisen in the room of Cyprian, Firmilian, Gregory, and Dionyfius. No bishop or paitor of eminence for piety, zeal, and labours appeared. Chriftian worfhip was yet conftantly attended to; the number of nominal converts was increasing; but the faith of Chrift itself appeared now an ordinary bufinefs, and here ended as far as appears, that great first out-pouring of the Spirit of God, which began at the Day of Pentecoft. Human depravity ipread a general decay of godlinefs through the church, and one generation of men elapfed with hardly *Eufeb. book 8, chap. 1. any any proofs of the fpiritual prefence of Chrift with his church. The obfervation of Eufebius, who honeftly confeffes this declenfion, is judicious. "The heavy hand of God's judgments began foftly, by little and little, to vifit us after his wonted manner, fo that the perfecution which was raised against us took its firft rife from the chriftians who were in military fervice. But we were not at all moved with his hand, nor took any pains to return to God, but heaped fin upon fin, thinking, like careless epicureans, that God cared not for, nor would ever vifit us for our fins. And our pretended fhepherds, laying aside the rule of godlinefs, practifed among themfelves contention and divifion." He goes on to obferve that the dreadful perfecution of Dioclefian was then inflicted on the church, as a juft punishment and the moft proper chattisement for their iniquities. Toward the end of the century, Dioclefian practising the fuperftitious rites of divination, and understanding or gueffing from the ill fuccefs of his facrifices, that the prefence of a chriftian fervant, who made on his forehead the fign of the crofs, was the caufe, ordered not only those who were prefent, but all in his palace to facrifice, or in cafe of refufal to be fcourged with whips *. He wrote alfo to the officers of his armies to conftrain all the foldiers to facrifice, or to discharge the difobedient from the fervice. This is what Eufebius alludes to in the foregoing paffage; and many refigned rather than facrifice. For chriftian truth was not yet loft, nor was the decay univerfal. Very few were put to death on this account. The ftory of Marcellus is remarkable. Mr. Gibbon L12 Lactantius de morte perfecut. has has undertaken to juftify his death, representing him as punished purely for defertion and military difobedience, in his ufual manner fuppreffing or difguiling facts. But the truth is, his death was the effect of a partial perfecution, and his conscience was not burdened merely with being a foldier (it was no uncommon thing for chriftians to ferve in the armies at that time) but with the introduction of new rules fubverfive of chriftianity. For those who ordered chriftian foldiers to facrifice knew that in fact they ordered them to renounce christianity. It was in the year two hundred and ninetyeight, at Tangier in Mauritania, while every one was employed in feafting and facrifices, that Marcellus the centurion took off his belt, threw down his vine-branch and his arms, and added, "I will not fight any longer under the banner of your emperor, or ferve your gods of wood and ftone. If the condition of a foldier is fuch that he is obliged to facrifice to gods and emperors, I abandon the vine-branch and the belt, and quit the fervice." "We plainly fee the caufe (lays Fleury) that forced the chriftians to defert, they being obliged to partake in idolatrous worship." The man was ordered to be beheaded. And one Calfianus the regifter, who was to take down the fentence, cried out aloud that he was fhocked at its injuftice. Marcellus fmiled for joy, foreseeing that Caffianus would be his fellow-martyr, as in fact he was martyred also a month after. When I read this flory toward the conclufion of Gibbon's firft vol. I thought, by his narrative, that Marcellus had fuffered on principles of modern quakerifm. I might have added this alfo to the lift of his perverfions, had it then attracted See Milner's Gibbon. my |