will lead a Life agreeable to the Gospel I being of late at Ancira in Galatia found the Church through Pontus not with Prophets as they call them but rather as it shall be proproved with Falâ—…e Prophets where through the Lord as much as in me lay I disputed in the Chuhch the space of many Days against them and their several Objections so that the Church rejoiced and was thereby confirmed in the Truth but the contrary Part yet repined and the Gainsayers were very sorrowful It is written of Montanus that he was puffed up with an immoderate Desire of Primacy i. e. Chief Authority opened a Gap for the Adversary to enter into him and being mad and estranged suddenly and bereft of his Wits waxed furious and published strange Doctrine contrary to the Tradition and ancient Custom of ancient Succession now received under the Name of Prophecy they which then were Auditors of this unlawful Preaching some chastised and checked him for a Lunatick i. e. one possed with Lunacy who at certain times of the Moon is distracted in his Wits and one that was possessed with the Spirit of Errours and forbad him to Preach being mindful of the Forewarnings and Threatnings of our Saviour tending to this end that we should take diligent heed of False Prophets Others waxed insolent i. e. proud and boasted and bragged of him not a little as if he had been endued with the Holy Ghost and Gift of Prophecy so that through disobedient Persons he came to be more honoured than his Merit did require And two Women being possessed of a foul Spirit spoke fond foolish and fantastical things even as he had before and they gloried and rejoiced in that Spirit which pronounced them happy and puffed them up with infinite fair Promises yet sometimes by Signs and Tokens he rebuked them to their faces so that he seemed a chastising Spirit There were few of the Phrygians seduced notwithstanding that bold and blind Spirit instructed them to blaspheme and revile generally every Church under Heaven because they neither did Homage i. e. a servile Ceremony of some Tenants which by Duty they owe to their Lords neither courteously received among them that false Spirit of Prophecy Those things he wrote in his first Book and in his second Book he writeth thus of their Ends These say they are the Prophets which the Lord promised to send his People Let them answer me I charge them in the Name of the Living God O ye Good People Is there any of the Sect of Montanus and these Women which have been persecuted by the Jews or put to death by any Tyrant Not one of them bearing the Name was either apprehended or crucified neither was their any Woman of them in the Synagogues of the Jews either scourged or stoned at all but Montanus and Maximilla are said to die ' another kind of Death Moreover when the Bishops went about to rebuke the Spirit which spoke in Maximilla they were hindred by others that wrought by the same Spirit saying Let not the Spirit of Maximilla say I am chased as a Wolf from the Sheep I am no Wolf I am the Word the Spirit and Power but let him manifestly express the power by the Spirit and prevail Apollonius against the Montanists He wrote in this manner saying But what kind of New Doctrine this is his Works and Doctrine do declare This is he which taught the breaking of Wedlock i. e. Marriage this is he which prescribed Laws of Fasting This is he which called Pâ—…puza and Tymium pelting Parishes of Phrygia Jerusalem to the end he might entice all Men from every where to frequent thither This is he which first ordained Tollgatherers and Taxers of Money this is he which under pretence and colour of Oblations hath cunningly invented the Art of Bribing this is he who giveth great hire unto the Preachers of his Doctrine that by feeding of the Paunch his Prophecies may prevail Moreover he addeth saying Doth not the whole Scripture forbid that a Prophet should receive Rewards and Money When I see a Prophetess receive gold and silver and goodly Garments how can I chuse but detest her Again of another he saith And besides these Themison also inflamed with the burning Thirst of Covetousness tasted not of the tart Cognisance of Confession before the Tyrant but shuffled himself out of Fetters with much Money And whenas therefore he should have humbled himself yet he all in bragery as if he were a Martyr i. e. one that died for Righteousness sake after the example of the Apostle wrote a Catholick i. e. Universal or General Epistle very presumptuously to instruct them which believed better than himself and to exhort them to strive with him for this New Doctrine and to revile the Lord and his Apostles and his holy Church Again speaking of one of their highly esteemed Martyrs he writes in this sort And that we trouble not our selves with many let the Prophetess tell us touching Alexander who called himself a Martyr with whom she hath banqueted whom also many do adore i. e. worship whose Thefts and other heinous Crimes which he suffered for I will not presently rehearse for they are publickly known and registred Whose Sins hath he pardoned Whether doth a Prophet yield theft unto a Martyr or a Martyr an immoderate Desire of gathering unto a Prophet For as when Christ commanded You shall not possess Gold neither Silver neither two Goats these on the contrary seek after the Possession of unlawful Substance for they whom they call Prophets and Martyrs have extorted Money i. e. wrested it from people per force not only of the Rich but of the Poor the Fatherless and Widows But if they plead innocency let them stay and join with us in the issue in the matter upon this condition that if they be overthrown at leastwise from henceforth they will cease to commit the like Sin again The Fruits of the Prophets are to be tried the Tree is to be known by its Fruit. And that the case of Alexander may be known of such as desire it he was condemned at Ephesus by Aemilius Frontinus not for his Profession but for his presumptuous and bold enterprised Theft being a lewd Person And then with a false pretence of Christian Profession seducing the faithful of that place he was pardoned and set at liberty Again in another place he writeth of their Prophets thus If they deny their Prophets to have been Bribers let them affirm it conditionally that if it be proved they be no longer Prophets For all the Works of a Prophet are necessarily to be proved Tell me I beseech ye Is it seemly for a Prophet to painthimself in Colours Is it seemly for a Prophet to smooth himself with the white glittering Stibiâ—… i. e. A certain Stone which maketh the Skin look very fair when it is rubbed with it Is it seemly for a Prophet to pinch and gingerly to
but he received it not saying In so much that we have forsaken our own How can we receive other Mens The Second BOOK OF EUSEBIUS Tiberius approved of the Doctrine of Christ but so did not the Senate THE Emperour Tiberus would have had Christ Canonized in the Number of the Gods in whose time the Christian Name was spread abroad in the World and when this Doctrine was signified to him he communicated the same unto the Senate declaring withal that this Doctrine pleased him right well but the Senate rejected it because they had not allowed the same but he persevered in his Opinion threatning them Death that would accuse the Christians The Jews would not allow of carved Images The Jews formerly judged it an hainous Offence that any carved Image should be erected in the City yea so great was their Indignation against Pictures that upon a certain time when the Pictures of Caesar were conveyed by Night into Jerusalem they that were nearest unto them at the sight thereof when the Day appeared stamped them with their Feet as if they had been abrogated Laws i. e. Laws abolished or disannulled The Death of Pilate Pilate that was President in the time of Christ under Cajus fell into such misery that necessity constrained him to use Violence upon himself so that he became his own Murtherer Of the Martyrdom of James the Apostle When King Herod stretched forth his Hand to vex certain of the Church he slew James the Brother of John with the Sword and it is recorded that he which drew him before the Tribunal-Seat when he saw that he would willingly suffer Martyrdom was therewith moved and voluntarily confessed himself to be a Christian then were they both brought together but he in the way requested James the Apostle to pardon him which after he had paused a little upon the matter turning unto him answered Peace be unto thee and kissed him and so they were both beheaded together How Herod was smitten Upon a certain time King Herod put on a Silver Robe wonderfully wrought which yielded so gorgeous a Glistering to the Eye that the shining thereof seemed terrible and intollerable almost to the Beholders Flatterers forthwith one one thing and another another thing bolt out such Sentences as turned in the end to his Confusion and saluting him as God they added therewith all be gracious for though hitherto we have feared thee as Man yet henceforth we confess thee to be above all mortal Nature These things the King rebuked not neither repelled this impious flattery but after he was smote of an Angel and then he said I which seemed to you a God and was saluted Immortal am now constrained to end the race of this Life For we have lived not miserably but in that prosperous Estate which is termed blessed Of Theudas the Sorcorer There was a certain Sorcerer named Theudas of whom the Scripture makes mention Acts 5. who perswaded a great Multitude to follow him unto the River Jordan bringing with them their whole Substance for he reported himself to be a Prophet and that at his Commandment the Rivers should divide it self parting in the midst yielding unto them free Passage through and in so saying he seduced many who afterwards were suppressed and Theudas being taken was Beheaded and his Head was brought to Jerusalem Of Simon Magus Simon Magus was esteemed and accounted in the City of Rome for a God and honoured as a God with a Picture between two Bridges upon the River Tibris having this Roman Superscription Simoni Deo Sancto to Simon the holy God and in manner all the Samaritans and certain also of other Nations did worship him acknowledging him for the chief God he is said to have been the first Author of Heresie they that have followed his Heresie have much overflowed in Filthiness and Obscenity i. e. silthy Talk for it is said of them that whatsoever may be imagined more foul than any Filthiness the same hath their damnable Heresie surpassed and poor wretched Women they have deluded with a heap of all kind of Evils Of the Gospel written by S. Mark It is said that the Romans were not satisfied with hearing Peter once nor yet sufficed with the unwritten Doctrine that he had delivered and therefore did they injoyn S. Mark whose Gospel is now spread abroad that he would leave in writing unto them the Doctrine which they had received by Preaching neither ceased they until they had perswaded him and so given an occasion of the Gospel to be written which is now after Mark. What the Christians were called The Christians were called Worshippers either because like cunning Physitians they cured and heald such as came unto them of their malicious Passions or that religiously they Worshipped the Celestial God-head with pure and sincere worship it is said they renounced their Substance and that they which professed Philosophy abandoned that is forsook or cast of their own proper Goods and severed themselves from all the Cares of this Life And forsook the Cities and lived solitary in Fields and Gardens Further he saith they did contemplate that is behold in their Minds or think upon not only Divine things but they made grave Canticles or Songs and Hymns unto God c. Moreover saith he they placed Continency that is Chastity in the Mind as a certain Foundation next they built there upon other Vertues And among them there were divers elderly Virgins to be found who despised corporal Lust c. What Sedition was among the Priests about Tythes The aforesaid Eusebius relates something out of Josephus concerning a Dissention that was between the High-Priests and the Inferior-Priests and chief of the People at Jerusalem they skirmished among themselves saith he they vexed one another they slinged one at another yea so Impudent and past all Shame saith he were the High-Priests become that they stuck not to send and take away from the Barn-floors the Tythes due unto the Inferior-Priests so that in the end it fell out that the Priests were seen to perish for Poverty Of the Martyrdom of James who was called the Brother of Jesus James the Brother of Christ was termed a just and perfect Man it is said that he took in hand the Government of the Church after the Apostles and when many of the Princes were perswaded there arose a Tumult of the Jews Scribes and Pharisees saying it is very dangerous least the whole People look after this Jesus as though he were Christ. And being gathered together they said to James We pray thee stay this People for they err in Jesu as though he were the true Christ we pray thee perswade this People concerning Jesu for we all obey thee yea we and all the People testifie of thee that thou art just and respectest not the person of any Man stand therefore upon the â—…innacle of the Temple that thou mayest be seen aloft and
that thy word may be heard plainly of all the People The aforesaid Scribes and Pharisees placed James upon the Pinnacle of the Temple and shouted to him and said thou just Man at whose Commandment we are all here In somuch as this People is seduced after Jesus who was Crucified declare unto us which is the Door or Way of Jesus Crucified And he answered with a loud Voice Why ask ye me of Jesus the Son of Man when as he sitteth at the right Hand in the great Power in Heaven c. When as he had perswaded many so that they glorified God at the Testimony of James and said Hosanna i. e. Save now I beseech thee in the highest to the Son of David Then the Scribes and Phariseâ—…s said among themselves We have done very ill in causing such a Testimony of Jesus to be brought forth but let us climb up and take him to the end that the People may be stricken with fear and so may be brought to renounce his Faith and they shouted saying O O! And the just also is seduced so they climbed up and threw Justus down headlong saying Let us stone James Justus and they begun to throw Stones at him for after his fall he was not fully dead And he fell upon his Knees saying I beseech thee Lord God and Father forgive them for they wote not what they do And as they were a stoning of him one of the Priests the Son of Rechab the Son of Charabim whose Testimony is in Ieremy the Prophet cryed out Cease whâ—…t do you this just Man prayeth for you And one of them that were present taking a Fullers â—…b stroke Iustus on the Head and brained him and so he suffered Martyrdom Of Nero's Persecution and Wickedness It is Recorded of Nero the Emperor before whom Paul appeared that he was so wicked that he tormented his own Mother with divers kinds of Death his Bretheren his Wife and many of his nearest Kinsfolks as if they had been Enemies and deadly Foes unto him He was counted the first Enemy of all the Emperors unto the Service of God yea some boasted and said They which knew him may easily perceive that this our Doctrine had never been condemned by Nero had it not been passing good It is written that Paul was beheaded and Peter crucified of him at Rome The Third BOOK OF EUSEBIUS Of Clemens and his Epistle which was read in Churches WHen Anacletus had been Bishop of Rome twelve years Clemens succeeded whom Paul writing to the Philippians calleth his fellow Labourer when he saith with Clemens and the rest of my fellow Labourers whose Names are written in the book of life One undoubted Epistle there is of his extant both worthy and notable the which he wrote from Rome unto Corinth when sedition was raised among the Corinthians the same Epistle we have known to have been read publickly in many Churches both of old and among us also at that time there was raised a sedition among the Corinthians An History of John the Apostle and a Young-man Ensebius hath a certain relation of a passage concerning the Apostle Iohn in the 20 Ch. of his third Book there he sheweth how that when Iohn was come unto a certain City and among other things he having recreated the Brethren He beheld a young man of A goodly body gracious face fervent mind whom he Committed unto him that was Appointed chief over all the Bishops saying I Commend this young man unto thy Custody with an earnest desire as Christ and the Church can bear me witness so Iohn returned to Ephesus But in process of time this young man became very dissolute i. e. wanton loose or given to much vain pleasure and perniciously accompanyed himself with them of his own years that were idle dissolute and acquainted with ill behaviour First they brought him to sumptuous banquets next they guided him in the night to steal and to rob so after he forsook the right way he brought himselfe unto a bottomeless pit of all misorder and outrage And a rout of Thieves being gathered together he became a most violent Captain of Thieves wholly bent to slaughter and murther and extreame cruelty In the mean while necessity so constraining the Bishop sent for Iohn he when he had ended and finished the cause of his coming Go to saith he O Bishop restore unto us thy charge which I and Christ have committed unto thy Custody the Church whereof thou art head bearing witness The Bishop at the first was Amazed supposing some deceit to be wrought touching money which he had not received yet was he not able to Answer them for that he had it not But when Iohn had said I require the young man and the Soul of our Brother then the Elder looking down with a heavy Countenance sobbing and sighing said he is dead To whom Iohn said How and by what kind of death he Answered he is dead to God for he is become wicked and pernicious and to be short a Thief for he keepeth this mountain together with his Associates the Apostle then rending his Garment and beating his head with sorrow said I have left a wise keeper of our Brothers Soul prepare me a horse and let me have a guide He hastened and rode in post being come unto the place appointed he is straight wayes taken of the thievish watch he neither fled nor resisted but exclaimed for this purpose came I hither said he bring me unto your Captain who in the mean time as he was Armed beheld him coming but as soon as he saw his face and knew it was Iohn he was stricken with shame and fled away The old man with might pursued him and cryed my Son why flyest thou from thy Father Unarmed and Old O Son tender my cause be not afraid as yet there remaineth hope of Salvation I will undertake for thee with Christ I will die for thee if need be as Christ did for us I will hazard my Soul for thine trust to me Christ sent me But he hearing this first stood still casting his Countenance to the Ground next shook of his Armour anon trembled for fear and wept bitterly He embraced the old man and coming unto him answered as well as he could for weeping So afterwards the Apostle brought him unto the Church again Concerning the Writing of the Gospel It is reported that Matthew and John were Constrained to write their Gospels for Matthew when he had Preached unto the Hebrews and passing unto other People wrote his Gospel in his Country Language supplying by Writing in his absence that which was desired in his presence When Mark and Luke had Published their Gospels John say they in all that space Preached without writing but at length was moved to write for this Cause It is reported that when the Books of the three Evangelists were much spread and coming unto Iohns hands he allowed of them and yielded of them
a true Testimony wishing that the Declaration of such things had been Printed in their Books which were done at the first Preaching of Christ. Iohn passeth over with silence the Genealogy i. e. of the Birth or Pedigree of our Saviour according unto the flesh being before amply laid down by Matthew and Luke and beginning with his Divinity reserved of the Holy Ghost for him as the Mightier The cause why Mark wrote his Gospel we have declared before And Luke in the beginning of his History sheweth the occasion of his writing signifying that divers now had already imployed their diligent care to the setting forth of such things as he was fully perswaded of necessarily delivering us from the doubtful opinion of others when by his Gospel he declareth unto us the sure and certain Narration of such things whereof he had received the Truth sufficiently Concerning the Books of the New Testament It shall also be Convenient saith Easebins if in this place we Collect briefly the Books of the New Testament In the first place must be set the fourfold writings of the Evangelists next the Acts of the Apostles then the Epistles of Paul are to be added after these the first of Iohn and that of Peter which are Authentick that is undeniable or approved of all Lastly if you please the Revelation of Iohn all these are received for undoubted The Books which are gainsaid though well known unto many are these the Epistle of Iames the Epistle of Iude the later of Peter the second and third of Iohn whether they were Iohn the Evangelists or some others of the same name Divers do number the Gospel to the Hebrews among them that were disallowed which was used especially of them which received Christ of the Hebrews Of Nicolas and his Sect. Concerning Nieolas of whom the Revelation of Iohn makes mention it is Written of him that he was one of the Dâ—…acons Ordained together with Stephen by the Apostles to Minister unto the Poor but thus it is Written of him This Nicolas having a Beautiful Woman to his Wife after the Ascention of our Saviour was accused of Jealousie and to clear himself of that Crime he brought forth his Wife and permitted him that listed to Marry her But his followers say that their doing is agreeable with that saying that is the Flesh is to be Bridled And so following that doing and saying without all discretion they Sin without all shame in filthy Fornication Concerning Iohn and Philip with his Daughters it was wrote thus by Policrates unto the Bishop of Rome for in Asia said he the great Founders of Christian Religion died who shall rise the last day at the coming of the Lord when he shall come from Heaven with Glory to gather all the Saints Philip one of the twelve Apostles was Buryed at Hierapolis and two of his Daughters which led their Lives in Virginity And Iohn who leaned on the Breast of our Saviour rested at Ephesus The Martyrdom of Simeon the Bishop Simeon the second Bishop of Ierusalem being accused for being a Christian was scourged several days and when he was a Hundred and Twenty years Old he suffered Martyrdom Anno Dom. 110. It is reported that unto those times the Church of God remained a Pure and Uncorrupted Virgin for such as endeavoured to corrupt the perfect Rule and the Sound Preaching of the Word if then there were any such hid themselves unto that time in some secret and obscure place but after that the sacred Company of the Apostles was worn out and come to an end and that Generation was wholly spent which by special Favour had heard with their Ears the Heavenly Wisdom of the Son of God then the Conspiracy of detestable Error through deceipt of such as delivered strange Doctrine took rooting And because that not one of the Apostles survived they Published boldly with all might possible the Doctrine of Falsehood and Impugned that is resisted or assaulted the open manifest known Truth How Plinius Secundus wrote to the Emperour in the Christians behalf Under Trajan the Emperour there was a grievous Persecution of the Christians and it seems that Plinius Secundus a notable president was stirred up to write unto the Emperour in the Christians behalf who wrote as followeth saying That he found nothing in them that was Impious or Wicked but that they refused the Worship ing of Images signifying this withal that the manner of the Christians was to rise before day to Celebrate Christ as God and to the end their Discipline might strictly be observed they forbid sheding of Blood Adultery Fraud Trayterous dealing and such like And for answer hereunto the Emperour wrote again That there should be no Inquisition for Christians but if they were met with they should be Punished Through which meanes the grievous Persecution was somewhat qualified yet nevertheless there was scope enough left for such as were willing to Afflict them Concerning Ignatius his Valour and Courage It is reported that one Ignatius Bishop of Antioch was sent from Syria to Rome for the Confession of his Faith to be Food for Wild Beasts who passing through Asia curiously Guarded with a great Troop of Keepers confirmed the Congregations throughout every City where he came with Preaching the Word of God and Wholsome Exhortations and specially giving charge to avoid the Heresies lately sprung and at that time overflowing c. And in his Journey he wrot unto several Churches saying I strive with beasts by Sea by Land nights and days fettered among ten I eopards that is a band of Souldiers And the more they receive the worse they become I thus exercised with their Injuryes am the more Instructed yet hereby am I not justified Now do I begin to be a Diciple I weigh neither visible nor Invisible things so that I gaine Christ let Fire Gallowes Violence of Beasts bruising of the Bones Racking of the Members stamping of the whole Body and all the Plagues invented by the mischief of Satan light upon me so that I win Christ-Jesus This he wrot from Syria to the Churches Concerning Mark the Evangelist Eusebius rehearseth one thing touching Mark the Evangelist as followeth The elder meaning Iohn said Mark the Interpreter of Peter look what he remembred that diligently he wrot not in that order in which the Lord spake and did them neither was he the hearer and follower of the Lord but of Peter who delivered his Doctrine not by way of Exposition but as necessity constrained so that Mark offended nothing in that he wrote as he had before committed to Memory Of this one thing was he fearful in omitting nothing of that he had heard and in delivering that was false Concerning Matthew it is thus written Matthew wrote his Book in the Hebrew Tongue which every one after his skili Interpreted by Allegations The Fourth BOOK OF EUSEBIUS When Heresie crept into the Church WHen Persecution
ceased then Heresie begun to spring apace among the Christians among whom Iuglers and Impâ—…stors crept in as Euseb. relates who bear the same Name and Title and in shew professed the same Doctrine with them thereby the sooner to insnare the Faithful in the slippery way of Perdition and under pretence of reducing them to the Faith over-whelmed them in the Whirl-pool and deep Dungeon of Damnation What a slander Hereticks were unto Christian Religion Eusebius shews how that some Hereticks taught how that they that would attain unto the Perfection of their Mysteries or rather abominable Devices they were to work such Facts though they were never so filthy otherwise they could not overcome the secular i. e. worldly Potentates unless every one played his part after the secret Operation And through the subtilty of Satan came many thereby to be seduced and great occasion was given to the Infidels to blaspheme against the divine Doctrine and a great slander came to be spread in that the Fame of them was bruted abroad throughout Christendom and by this means it fell out often that the Infidels of those times conceived a wicked absurd and shameful Opinion of the Christians saying That they used the unlawful Company of Mothers and Sisters and that they fed upon the tender Infants and Sucklings How the Christians were threatned and how some were converted by beholding their innocent Sufferings In the Judaical Wars it was commanded that the Christians should be grievously punished except they would renounce Christ and blaspheme God but some were Converted by beholding the patient and innocent Suffering of the Christians from Paganism to Piety as one said for my self saith he delighted with the Doctrine of Plato hearing that the Christians were led captive neither fearing Death nor any Torments which are accounted terrible I thought it could not be that this kind of Men were subject unto Malice and set on Pleasure for what voluptuous Person or intemperate or delighted with devouring of Man's Flesh can so imbrace Death that he be deprived of his desire and not rather endeavour that this may always last that he be able to deceive Princes and not betray himself to death Moreover Iustinus writeth how that Adrianus receiving Letters from a noble President signifying in the behalf of the Christians That it was very injurious that for no Crime but only at the cut-cry of the People they should be brought and Executed An Epistle of Adrian the Emperor who ordered that no Christians should be accused neither suffer without just Cause Unto M. F. Proconsul of Asia Adrian sendeth greeting I received an Epistle from S. G thy Predecessor the occasion whereof I cannot with silence leave untouched least that thereby Men be troubled and a gap left open to the malice of Sycophants that is Talebearers wherefore if your Provincials can prove ought against the Christians whereof they charge them and justifie it before the Bar let them proceed on and not appeach that is accuse or bewray them only for the name with making out-cryes against them For it is very expedient that if any be disposed to accuse the accusation be thoroughly known of you and siftod therefore if any accuse the Christians that they transgress the Laws see that you judge and punish according to the quality of the Offence But in plain words if any upon spite or malice in way of Cavillation complain against them see you chastise him for his Malice and punish him with Revengment Antoninus Pius Epistle in the behalf of the Christians The Emperor Caesar Marcus c. sendeth greeting unto the Commons of Asia I know saith he the Gods are careful to discover hurtful Persons for they punish such as will not worship them more grievously than ye do those whom ye bring in trouble confirming that Opinion which they conceive of you to be wicked and ungodly Men. It is their desire in Gods Quarrel rather to die than to live so that they become Conquerors yielding their lives unto the Death rather than to obey your Edicts It shall seem very necessary to admonish you of the Earth-Quake which have and do happen among us that being therewith moved you may compare our Estate with theirs They have more Confidence to God-wards than you have you during the time of your Ignorance despise other Gods contemn the Religion of the Immortal God Banish the Christians which Worship him and Persecute them unto Death In the behalf of these men many of the Provincial Presidents have Written heretofore unto our Father of Famous Memory whom he Answered in Writing again that they were not to be longer molested unless they had practised Treason aganst the Roman Empire And many have given notice unto us of the same Matter whom we answered as our Father did before us If any therefore hereafter be found thus busied in other Mens affairs we command that the accused be absolute and free tho he be found such an one I mean faulty and that the accuser be grievously Punished This Ediâ—…t was Proclaimed at Ephesus in the hearing of that great Assembly of Asia An Extract out of the Epistle of the Church of Smyrna unto all the Congregations of the Holy Catholick Church throughout Pontus Mercy Peace and the Love of God the Father and of our Lord Jesus Christ be multiplied We have written unto you Brethren of such as suffered Martyrdom The beholders of them were amazed seeing their Flesh rent with Scourges even unto the Inner Veins and Sinews so that the most secret Entrails of their Bodies their Bowels and inward Privities were piteously to be seen beholding again the sharp Shells of Sea-fish and pibble Stones strowed under the Martyrs Backs and bruised Bodies with every kind of Torment that could be devised last of all they were thrown to be torn in pieces and devoured of Wild Beasts But there was a certain Phrygian by Name Quintus that trembled at the fierce Rage of the terrible Beasts and shrinked at the sight of their grim Visage and betrayed his own safety with slackness of Courage for the same Epistle testifieth of him that he personally appeared together with the rest before the Bar more of rashness than of any Religion and being taken he publickly professed That none ought to intrude himself among such Men without good Devotion neither to intermeddle in matters wherewith he hath not to do The same Chapters sheweth how that after Polycarpus was apprehended he was brought to the City upon an Ass on the great Sabbath day And a Justice of Peace with his Father meeting him they received him into their Chariot and perswaded him saying What harm is it to say Lord Caesar to sacrifice and so be saved At the first he answered nothing but when they urged him he said I will not condescend unto your Counsel They perceiving he would not be perswaded gave him very rough Language and tumbled him
Sects among the Jews Egesippus wrote how that after Iacobus Iustus was martyred in such sort as Christ himself was put to death his Uncle Simon Cleophas was chosen Bishop and then they called the Church a pure Virgin for as yet saith he the Devil had not sown there any corrupt Seed of False Doctrine But Thebulis because that he was not chosen Bishop went about to corrupt the same being one of the Seven Hereticks among the People He writes of many more Hereticks as of Simon â—…cobius Dosithaeus Gortaeus Machotaei Menendâ—…anises Carpocratians Valetinians Basilidians and Saturnians whereof every one saith he hath set abroach a proper and a several Opinion Of these saith he further sprang the false Christs the false Prophets the false Apostles rending asunder the Church with their false Doctrine directed against God and Christ The same Author describeth likewise the old Heresies of the Jews saying there were in the time of the Circumcision sundry Sects among the Children of Israel varying in Opinions and set opposite against the Tribe of Iudah and Christ namely these the Esseans the Galileans the Hemerobaptists the Masbotheans the Samaritans the Sadducees and Pharisees And by Occasion the aforesaid Egesippus reasoning of the Scriptures called Apocrypha that is hidden doubtful or unknown he said that in his time divers of them were published by Hereticks that is such as make choice of themselves what points of Religion they will believe and what they will not Of Dionysius Epistle to the Romans Moreover there remaineth an Epistle of Dionysius Bishop of Corinth unto the Romans as Eusebius saith wherein it is thus written It hath been your accustomed manner saith he even from the beginning diversly to benefit all the Brethren and to send Relief throughout the City supplying the Want of the Poor by refreshing them in this sort and especially the Want of the Brethren appointed for slavish Drudgery and digging of Metals The same Author reporteth of his own Epistles that they were patched and corrupted in these Words When I was entreated of the Brethren to write I wrote certain Epistles but the Messengers of Satan have sown them with Tares pulling away some things and putting to other some For whom Condemnation is laid up No marvel then saith he though some endeavour to corrupt the sacred Scriptures of God whenas they went about to counterfeit such Writings of so small Authority Concerning the Christians Sufferings Melito the Bishop of Sardis in his Apology to the Emperour reporteth some of the things practised against the Christians writing thus The godly People were grieved by reason of new Edicts which were published throughout Asia and never before practised now suffer Persecution For impudent Sycophants that is Tale-bearers or Slanderers and greedy Gapers after other Mens Goods having gotten Occasion through these proclamations openly to rob and spoil day and night such as commit no Trespass at all And after a few Lines he saith The Emperour that is just never putteth in Practice any unjust thing and we willingly will bear away the Honour of this Death yet this only we will crave of you that you after Notice and Tryal had of the Authors of this Contention do justly give Sentence whether they are worthy of Death and Punishment or Life and Quietness Of the Encratits and their Heresie Out of the School of Syternius and Marcion sprang the Hereticks whom they call Encratits that is te say contient or chast persons who taught that Marriage was to be aborred contemning the ancient Shape and Mould of Man framed of God And so by Sequel or consequently reprehending him that made the Generation of Mankind again they have commanded Abstinence from living Creatures for so they call them shewing themselves ungrateful towards God who made all things for the Use of Man After that Iustinus was martyred Tatianus fell from the Chureh and being puffed up with presumptuous Estimation and Self-opinion of Doctrineship as though he passed all other invented a new Form of Doctrine He dreamed of certain invisible Worlds with the Valentinians Some report that he presumed metaphrastically i. e. by a Metaphor to change one Word from its natural Sence into another Sence like unto it to alter the Words of the Apostle correcting as it were the order of the Phrase The Fifth BOOK OF EUSEBIUS The Servants of Christ inhabiting Vienna and Lions Cities of France unto the Brethren throughout Asia and Phrygia having with us the same Faith and Hope of Redemption Peace Grace and Glory from God the Father and Iesus Christ our Lord be multiplied WHEN they had premised certain things by way of Preamble they prâ—…ceed in these Words The Greatness of this our Tribulation the fury of the Gentiles against the Saints and what things the blessed Martyrs had suffered we are not able exactly to express by Word or Comprehend in Writing for we are not only banished our Houses Baths and common Market-places but altogether every one one of us are straitly charged not to shew our Faces And many have born all the Vexations that the Multitude have laid upon them as Examinations Scourgings Draggings Spoiling Stoning Fettering and the like whatsoever the heady savage Multitude accustomed to practise against their professed Enemies Next being had unto the open Market-place and Examination had they were condemned in the Presence of the People by the Tribune that was a certain Officer that ought to have defended their Liberty and the other chief Potentates of the City and were cast into Prison until the Presidents coming After that when they were brought before the President which had exercised all kind of extream Cruelty against us Vetius Epagathus one of the Brethren whose Conversation was so perfect that he was thought comparable with Zachary the Priest allowed not of the Sentence unjustly pronounced against us but with vehement Motion required that Audience might be given him to plead for the Brethren alledging that we had committed no Impiety which being denied him of such as compassed the Tribunal that is the Iudgment-Seat and the President rejecting this just Petition only demand whether he was a Christian Which he confessed with a loud Voice and so he was received unto the Fellowship of the Martyrs And was called the Advocate that is one which pleadeth for another in a Consistory or in a Iudgment place of the Ghristians There was certain found unready and as yet weak not of abillity to bear the Burthen of so weighty a Combate in number Ten which fell through the Frailty of the Flesh to our great Heaviness and sorrowful Lamentation quailing the Chearfulness of others which were not as yet aprehended but accompanied the Martyrs what Torments soever befell them and severed not themselves from them then Trembled we all for fear and that greatly because of the uncertainty of Confessions being not terrified with any Torments but careful for the end least
and one that well remembred his Words to deliver them in writing such things as he had heard Peter preach before which thing when he had signified to Peter he neither forbad him nor commanded him to do it Iohn last of all seeing in the other Evangelists the Humanity of Christ set forth at large being intreated of his Friends and moved by the Holy Ghost wrote chiefly of his Divinity Bishops were divided about a Lay-man's Preaching Origen was intreated of the Bishops to dispute in the open Church and to expound the Holy Scripture before he was called to the Ministry Which may evidently appear by that which they wrote in defence of the fact unto Demetrius concerning him after this manner He laid this down in his Letters that there was never such a Practice heard of that there could no where the like President be found that Lay-men i. e. such as are not of the Clergy in presence of Bishops have taught in the Church We know not for what cause he reporteth a manifest untruth whenas there may be found such as in open Assemblies have taught the People yea whenas they were present Learned Men that could profit the People And moreover Holy Bishops at that time also exhorting them to Preach as several might be instanced Dionysius Bistop of Alexandria reporteth in his Epistle the Constancy of such as were Martyred at Alexandria under Decius as followeth Dionysius unto Rabius Bishop of Antioch This Persecution was not begun by the Emperour's Edict i. e. Proclamation or Decree but one whole year before For there came unto this City a certain Southsayer and Inventer of Mischief who moved and stirred up the whole Multitude of the Heathen against us and excited i. e. stirred up them to defend the Superstition of their Native Soil By whom they being thus provoked and having won to their side such as were of Power and Authority to perpetrate i. e. to commit any unlawful thing all impious Acts they perswaded themselves that the only Worship of Devils and our Slaughter was Piety i. e. Godliness it self First then they apprehended a certain Minister and commanded him to utter Blaspemy who for disobedience therein was beaten with Clubs his Face and Eyes they pricked with sharp Quills afterwards they led him forth and stoned him to death Again they brought into the Temple of Idols a Faithful Woman named Quinta and constrained her to Worship who contrarying and abhorrying their Idols had her Feet bound together and by them trailed and lugged all along the Streets which were paved with sharp Stones and withal being beaten against Mill-stones and sore scourged she was brought forth to the place and executed Which being done they all almost with one accord violently rushed into the Houses of the Religious and and the wicked led the heady multitude unto their Neighbours Houses whom they knew to be godly and well-disposed and they destroyed spoiled stole and bore away the precious Jewels but the vile the base and the wooden stuff they threw out into the Street and burned it to ashes shewing forth thereby a Resemblance or Spectacle of a City taken and ransacked by the Enemy But the Brethren took it in good Part and very cheerfully suffered they the Loss of their Goods much like unto them of whom Paul hath testified so great was the Rage of the Heathen that there was no way left for us to pass no not the common High-way nor any By passages either by day or night they cried out all and exclaimed every where there was no other choice but either to utter Blasphemy or to be drawn and burnt at a Stake But in the end this Sedition and Civil War overtook the seditious Persons themselves and turned upon them the self-same Cruely which they before had practised upon us so that for a little Season we refreshed our selves their Fury wherewith they raged against us being somewhat abated But a while after the alteration of the Imperial Scepter was made known unto us which before-time had been very favourable unto us but now threatned great Mischief to ensue And the Emperours Edict or Proclamation was proclaimed and that most dreadful Saying of our Saviour prognosticated i. e. foretold long before then took place That if it had been possible the very Elect themselves should have been offended Then did all tremble and Quake for fear some forthwith of the mightier sort fled away doubting what would befall them some of their own accord were carried away with their worldly Affairs some were perswaded by their Neighbours and being called by their Names were present at their profane and impious Sacrifices Some waxed pale and trembled not as though they would Sacrifice but like to become Sacrifices and Oblations i. e. Offerings to the Idols so that the whole Multitude derided them for they seemed manifestly to be timerous both to die and also to Sacrifice some went stoutly to their Altars and affirmed boldly that they never were Christians some other there were that held with both sides some fled and some were taken whereof divers endured Fetters and Imprisonments Othersome after long imprisonment before they came unto the Tribunal i. e. Judgment Seat renounced i. e. forsook or denied their Faith yea some denied Christ after they had endured Torments But Iulianus and Cronion who confessed and acknowledged the Lord with a sound Faith were burned to ashes in the presence of the People which compassed them round about Whenas they were brought forth a certain Souldier rebuked such as reviled them wherefore they exclaimed against him so that he was brought forth in that great Skirmish for the Christian Faith and was beheaded Dioscorus a young Man of fifteen years old with others were committed First of all the Judge took the young Man in hand with fair Speeches as though he were easie to be intreated afterwards with Torments as though he were soon terrified but he for all his perswasion would neither bow at his Flatteries or break at his Threats The rest after they had endured cruel rending and dis-jointing of their bodily Members he commanded to be burned with fire But Dioscorus he set at liberty wondring at his gracious Countenance which gave a glittering shine and the wise Answers which proceeded out of his mouth saying he would grant him longer space to repent and remember himself for his tender years sake Moreover Nemesion an Egyptian was accused of Theft whereof after he had openly purged and cleared himself before the Centursion i. e. Captain of 100 men again he was accused of Christianity wherefore he was bound and brought before the President i. e. a Ruler or Judge But the most cruel and unjust Judge delivered him among the Thieves to be twice more grievously tormented and vexed There stood before the Tribunal-Seat certain Souldiers and together with them old Theophilus who when any of the Christians came to hear the Sentence or Judgment and then was
of God who am banished from God bewail him who is bereaved of the Holy Ghost bewail me that am thrust out of the Wedding-Chamber of Christ Bewail me who once was thought worthy the Kingdom of God but now altogether unworthy Bewail me that am abhorred of the Angels and severed from the Saints of God Bewail me for that I am condemned to eternal Punishments Bewail me for that I am here on Earth and now tormented with the Prick of Conscience And what shall I do I wot not being thus on every side beset with Misery If there be any Man that can I beseech him now to help me with his earnest Prayers and with his sorrowful Tears for now it behoveth me to shed infinite Tears for me great Sin Who knoweth whether the Lord will have mercy upon me whether he will pity my Fall whether he will tender my Person whether he will be moved with my Desolation whether he will have respect unto my Humility and encline his tender Compassion towards me who have no taste nor relish of him but am as the unsavoury Salt Now let the Elders mourn for that the Staff whereto they leaned is broken Now let the Young Men mourn for that their School-Master is fallen Now let the Virgins mourn for that the Advancer thereof is defiled Now let the Priests mourn for that their Patron i. e. a great Friend and Defender is shamefully fallen Now let all the Clergy i. e. Bishop Priests Deacons c. mourn for that their Priest is fallen from the Faith Wo is me that I sell so lewdly who is me that I fell most dangerously and cannot rise again Now all ye which behold my Wound tremble for fear and take heed that ye slumber not neither fall into the like Crime i. e. Fault or Offence but come jointly which have the same measure of Faith let us assemble together and rend our Hearts and provoke streams of Tears to gush out of the Temples of our Heads I mourn and am sorry from the Heart root O ye my Friends that ever I fell from aloft I have fallen and am bruised there is no Health in me Let the Angels lament over me because of this my dangerous Fall Let the Garlands and Crowns of the Saints lament over me for that I am severed from among their blessed Assemblies Let the holy-Holy-Church lament over me for that I am ruinously decayed Let all the People lament over me for that I have my deaths Wound I was constrained of the Holy Bishops to break out into some Words of Exhortation and taking the Book of Psalms in my hand I prayed and opened and I lighted upon that Sentence the which I am ashamed to repeat yet compelled to pronounce Unto the ungodly said God Why dost thou preach my Laws and takest my Covenant in thy Mouth But bewail me and lament this my bitter Sorrow bewail me who am in like case with the reprobate Jews i. e. Cast-aways for that which was said unto them by the Prophet now soundeth alike in my Ears What shall I do that am thus beset with many Mischief Alas O Death why dost thou linger to wit that thou mayst spite and bear me malice O Satan what mischief hast thou wrought unto me How hast thou pierced my Breast with thy poisonous Dart Thinkest thou that my ruine will avail thee any thing at all thinkest thou to procure unto thy self ease and rest while that I am grievously tormented Who is able to signifie unto me whether my Sins be wiped and done away whether that I have escaped the Pains which greatly I feared Who is able to signifie to me whether again I shall be coupled and made a Companion of the Saints Alas O the Bosom of the Father which I am deprived of Alas that I became Partaker with the rich Man of his Condemnation in the horrible Pit and partner of his Thirst in the bitter place full of sorrow and heaviness why hast thou broke down my hedge and strong hold The wild Boar out of the Wood hath destroyed me and the wild Beast of the field hath eaten me up rid me O Lord from the roaring Lion The whole Assembly of Saints do make intercession unto thee for me which am an unprofitable Servant have me O Lord out of the mouth of the ravenous Wolf and suffer me not to become the Sacrifice of Sin but let down upon me thy Holy Spirit that with his fiery Countenance he might put to flight the crooked Fiend of the Devil that I may be brought home again unto thy Bosom that the Bill of Sin written against me may be blotted out that my Lamentation may cease in the Evening and receive Joy in the Morning Let my Sack-cloth be rent asunder and gird me with Joy and Gladness let me be received again into the Joy of my God let me be thought worthy of his Kingdom through the Prayers and Intercession of the Saints through the earnest Petition of the Church which sorroweth over me and humbleth her self unto Jesus Christ to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Glory and Honour for ever Amen Dionysius professed that he was profited by reading the Books of the Heretick Dionysius writeth thus unto Philemon a Roman Minister I have read over the Traditions and Commentaries i. e. Registers or Records of He eticks not infecting my mind with their impure cogitations i. e. unclean thoughts or thinkings buâ—… profiting my self so much thereby that I reprehend i. e. reprove them with my self and detest i. e. abhor them utterly And when I was brotherly and charitably forbidden by a â—…ertain Minister who feared lest I should wallow in the Puddle of their Maliciour writings whereby my Soul might perish who as I thought said the truth a certain Vision came to me from Heaven above plainly commanding and saying Read all whatsoever cometh into thy hands for thou shalt be able to weigh to prove and try all and by this means at the first thou came unto the Faith Concerning Valerianus the Emperour We have to consider how that above all his Predecessors i. e. those that were in Place or Office before he was disposed at the first gentle before all the men of God meek friendly-minded for there was none of all the Emperours so Courteous and Friendly affected towards them no not they which openly were accounted Christians He at the first embraced our men most Familiarly most Lovingly and that openly so that his Place was replenished with professors of the Faith and accounted for the Church of God Yet afterwards he became so exceeding Cruel and Wicked that he brought to pass Impure Ceremonies i. e. unclean Rites or Customs execrable i. e. Herrible or Wicked Enchantments and abominable Sacrifices He made a Slaughter of miserable Children He Sacrificed the Sons of Unfortunate i. e. unhapy Parents he searched the Bowells of newly born Babes spoyling asunder the shaped Creatures of God as if by such
Martyrdom The cause was this There is a certain Dignity among the Romans called the Centurions Vine the which whosoever doth obtain is called a Centurion i. e. a Captain of a hundred when the Room was void the Company called Marinus to this Degree and he being preferred another came before the Tribunal or Judgmen-seat and accused him affirming that it was not lawful by the antient Laws for him to enjoy that Roman Dignity because he was a Christian and sacrificed not unto the Emperor and that it was his turn next to come in place The Judge being very much moved with this first demanded what Opinion Marinus was of and when he saw him constantly confessing himself to be a Christian he granted him three Hours space to deliberate i. e. advise or consider This being done Theoteâ—…nus Bishop of Caesarea took Marinus in hand with Exhortations and shewed him the Sword that hung by his side and pulled out of his Pocket the New Testament and set it over against the Sword and bade him chuse whether of these two he preferred or liked best for the health of his Soul when he immediately stretching out his Hand had taken up the Book of Holy Scriptures Hold fast then saith Theoteâ—…nus unto him cleave unto God and thou shalt enjoy the things thou hast chosen being strengthned by him and get in peace After he had returned thence the Crier lifted up his Voice and called him to appear at the Barr the time granted for deliberation being now ended Standing therefore at the Barr he gave Tokens of the noble Courage of his Faith wherefore in a while after as he was led he had the Sentence of Condemnation and was beheaded Several Bishops wrote unto Dionysius Bishop of Rome and to others concerning Paulus Samosatenus who was rejected as a Heretick by them They say that neither by Art Trade or Exercise he attained unto the abundance of Wealth he enjoyed but with lewd Acts and Sacriledge i. e. robbing of a Church or stealing of holy things by injurious or wrongful and tyrannical oppressing of the Brethren whom he made to tremble for fear with his guileful gain and wily promise of hired Patronship i. e. defence or protection by which subtilty and deceit he gained so much that Procured the Givers to be liberal to the end they might be delivered from their Adversaries and so he turned Godliness into Gain Neither need we declare how that he being puffed up with Pride usurped secular Dâ—…gnities i. e. took into his use contrary to right worldly Honours and would rather be called a warlike Captain than a Bishop of the Church walking stately through the Streets and Market-place reading Letters and withal openly inditing maintaining about him a great troop to guard his Person some going before and some coming after so that our Faith and Religion ran to great spight slander and hatred by reason of his swelling Pride and haughty Disdain Neither will we rehearse the monstrous Figments i. e. Lyes which he feigned his glorious Brags the uglisome Spectacles i. e. horrible Sights he devised to amaze the minds of the simple sort He made for himself a lofty Seat and high Throne not like the Disciple of Christ but severed in shew and title after the manner of the Princes of the World smiting the thigh with the hand pouncing the foot-stool with his Feet If any extolled him not as the use is upon Theaters i. e. places where People sit to behold solemn Games or Plays with clapping of their Hands with shouting and hurling of their Caps if any also both of Men and Women had not skipped to and fro with busie-bodies and undescent obeisance i. e. uncomely Obedience by bowing the knee if any as in the House of God had behaved themselves honestly and decently i. e. comely or handsomely the same he checked and all to be reviled He licensed the Bishops and Ministers of the adjoining Villages and Cities which honoured him to preach unto the People the Elders and Deacons which accompany with him know his Wickedness but dare not accuse him insomuch as they themselves are guilty of the same Crimes for he enricheth them wherefore he is both beloved and honoured of them that gape after the like Gudgeons i. e. Gift or Reward We know beloved Brethren that a Bishop and the whole Order of Priesthood ought to be a Patern of Good Works unto the common People neither are we ignorant of this that many are fallen by reason of the closely kept Women and many again are subject to suspicion and slander The Eighth BOOK OF EUSEBIUS Concerning the Peace and prosperous Success of the Christian Affairs and Calamity which followed after THE Clemency or Mercy of the Emperors was so increased towards the Christians that they committed the Government of the Gentiles to them And for the great Favour they bore to our Doctrine saith Eusebius they granted Liberty and Security to the Professors of Christian Religion What shall I say of them who in the very Palace of the Emperours and in the presence of Princes lived most familiarly Yea the Bishops of all Churches came to be in great Reverence and Favour among all sorts of Men and with all Magistrates who can worthily describe those innumerable Heaps flocking Multitudes throughout all Cities and Famous Assemblies frequenting the Places dedicated or appointed unto Prayer because of which Circumstances they not contented with the old and antient Buildings which could not receive them have throughout all Cities Builded them from the Foundation wide and ample Churches But then after that our Affairs through too much liberty ease and security degenerated i. e. turned out of kind from the natural Rule of Piety and after that one pursued another with open contumely i. e. disgrace or reproach and hatred and when that we impugned i. e. resisted or assaulted our selves by no other than our selves with the Armour of Spite 2nd sharp Spears of opprobrious i. e. reproachful Words so that Bishops against Bishops and People against People raised Sedition i. e. discord or strife Last of all when that cursed Hypocrisie and Dissimulation had swom even to the brim of Malice the heavy hand of Gods high Iudgment after his wonted mannâ—…r whilst as yet the Ecclesiastical Companies i. e. them of or such as belonged to the Church assembled themselves nevertheless began softly by little and little to visit us so that the Persecution that was raised against us took its first original i. e. first beginning from the Brethren which were under Banner in Camp whenas we were touched with no Sense or Feeling thereof neither went about to pacifice God we heaped Sin upon Sin thinking like careless Epicures i. e. such as are given to excess in Gluttony that God neither cared nor would visit our Sins And they which seemed our Shepherds laying aside the Rule of Piety practised Contention and Schism among themselves i. e. division in matters of Religion
and whilst they aggravated i. e. made things worse and worse by Words these thing viz. Contention Threatnings mutual i. e. that which passeth one from another Hatred and Enmity and every one proceeded in Ambition i. e. Pride or immoderate Desire of Soveraignty much like Tyranny it self then I say the Lord according to the saying of Ieremiah made the Daughter of Sion obscure and overthrew from above the Glory of Israel and remembred not his Foot-stool in the day of his Wrath. Of Dioclesians Proclamations against the Christians In the nineteenth Year of Dioclesian's Reign was there Proclamations published in which it was commanded That the Churches should be made even with the ground the holy Scriptures by burning them should be abolished i. e. disannulled or destroyed such as were in Honour and Estimation should be contemned and such as were of Families if they retained or held the Christian Faith should be deprived of their Freedom And such were the Contents of the first Edict But in the Proclamations which immediately followed after it was added That the Pastors i. e. Shepherds throughout all Parishes first should be imprisoned next with all means possible constrained to Sacrifice Afterwards some endured bitter Torments others fainted for Fear and at the first onset or first violent assault were quite discouraged Some were tortured and launched with more intolerable pain some failed of the purposed End some were found constant and perfect Yet the Enemies of Truth triumphed and laboured to bring their purpose to effect Concerning the Persecution The Persecution against the Christians grew so exceeding great that some after many Torments endured were broiled to death some were hanged and some were beheaded And about that time some of the Emperour's Palace hapned to be on fire and when the Christians were taken in suspicion to be the Authors thereof by the Emperors commandment the whole Troop generally of all the godly there at that time was executed whereof some with the Sword were beheaded others burned with fire others carried in a Boat and thrown into the deep Sea And such were the practices in the beginning of the Persecution at Nicomedia Afterwards the Emperor commanded all the Pastors throughout every Church to be imprisoned and kept in hold multitudes were inclosed or shut up and the Prisons of old appointed and ordained for Murderers diggers of Sepulchres and riflers of Graves were then replenished with Bishops Ministers Deacons c. so that there was no room in Prison for such as were condemned for hainous Offences Again when the former Edicts had taken place there followed others by virtue of which such as sacrificed were set at liberty and such as resisted were commanded to be tormented with a thousand kind of Torments Concerning the Roman Empire Before the Roman Empire waged Battel against us saith Eusebius in the space the Emperors favoured us and maintained Peace it may not sufficiently be declared how prosperously the Commonwealth flourished and abounded with Goodness c. And whenas the Empire after this sort increased without offence and daily was enlarged they had no sooner removed Peace from among us but they stirred up Battels as could not be reconciled Not fully two years after this Hurlyburly i. e. tumult or stir there was such a change happened unto the whole Empire which turned all upside down For no small Disease overtook the Chief Emperour and bereaved i. e. deprived him of his Wits Afterwards the Empire was divided into two parts the which was never remembred to have come to pass before that time Not long after Constantius the Emperor passing all others throughout his Life-time in Clemency and Goodness towards his Subjects when he died his Son Constantine supplied his room In his Life he was most benign among all the Emperors who alone of all the Emperors in our time governed most gloriously and honourably during the whole term of his Reign shewing humanity and bountifulness unto all Men c. The Dissimulation of Maxentius Maxentius who exercised Tyranny at Rome in the beginning of his Reign dissembled our Faith egregiously i. e. some time basely creeping into Credit by flattering the People of Rome and therefore he commanded his Commonalty or vulgar People to cease from persecuting of the Christians whereby he might pretend a show of Piety i. e. Godliness and seem tractable and more benign i. e. favourable than his Ancestors that went before him But in process of time he was not indeed found the same which Men took him for and hoped he would be for he fell into all kind of Enormities i. e. he went out of rule or measure omitting no heinous Offence how detestable and lascivious soever it was unessayed i. e. untried wherefore all both high Primates i. e. Archbishops and inferiour People trembling for fear of him were oppressed with his intolerable Tyranny yet neither by silence neither by suffering this grievous servitude i. e. bondage or base estate could they be free from the bloody slaughter and imbrued murther of this Tyrant Concerning Maximinus and his Proclamation in the behalf of the Christians It seems his Behaviour towards the Christians was very cruel and the Persecution long and tedious in his day which continued for 12 years He exceeded many in Hypocrisie Superstition Idolatry Oppression Prodigality in Drunkenness Lechery c. wherefore a plague lighted on him which took root in his Flesh and afterwards proceeded even unto his Soul At length being thus tormented and lying in this miserable condition he began to ponder with himself the rash Enterprises he had practised against the holy Worshippers of God Wherefore returning unto himself first he confessed his Sins unto God next calling unto him such as then were about him he gave commandment that with all speed they should cease from persecuting the Christians and that by the Commandment and Decree of the Emperor they should build again their Churches c. And his Proclamations were published throughout the Cities containing a Reâ—…antation of these things formerly prejudicial unto the Christians In the third Year of our Persecution under the Reign of Maximinus the second Hurly-burly was raised against us and the Tyrants Letters were then first of all brought to Urbanus charging all the People of what Degree or calling soever that they should Sacrifice unto their Gods the Magistrates also throughout every City busily applying themselves to the same and that the Beadles throughout all the City of Câ—…sarea should by virtue of the Presidents Edict summon the Fathers the Mothers and their Children to appear at the Idols Temple and that the Tribunes should likewise out of a Scroll i. e. a piece of Paper or Parchment which might be called a Bill call every one by his Name by reason whereof there was no where but heaviness sobbing and sighing And Apphianus went cheerfully unto the President as he was sacrificing and boldly took hold on his right hand and stayed
who could not bow to the Gods of the Heathen no more then the true Christians now can bow to the corrupt wills of Ambitious and unreasonable men and though the Innocent suffer therefore for the present yet for their sakes will the Lord shorten the days of the Wicked as he did the days of that Persecuting Emperour The Seventh Persecution IN the year 253. did the Seventh Persecution arise under the Emperour Decius who with Excessive Cruelty did Persecute the Christians In this Persecution several of the Bishops were put to death and such as were the chief among the Christians did they torture with many Torments and the Houses of the Christians they Plundred and that which the Plunderers did not esteem that they burned In this Persecution many suffered Martyrdom some being Burned some Beheaded Women so well as Men some being whipt to death and some Souldiers for Incouraging these Martyrs in their Suffering were put to death In this Terrible Persecution several departed from the Faith for fear of the Torments yet afterwards came to be restored again the Suffering of the Christians was great under this Emperour but his days were also shortened for he had not Raigned two years but was caught in a Whag of Mire where he met with a check or Reproof for his cruelty Note Thus it appears that the Christians that lived Godly in Christ-Iesus suffered Persecution according to what the Apostle hath said 2 Tim. 3 12. And many now that live Godly and Righteously do suffer not only the Imprisonment of their Bodies but also the Spoyling of their Goods which have been Spoyled both by Priests and People who have sometime as it were Plundred their Houses for their dishonest gain and they have shewed themselves in their carriage and behaviour to be liker unto the Heathen then the suffering Christians who suffered their Houses to be Plundred but we do not Read that they then Plundred the Houses of any but with patience suffered the Plundring of their Goods and in this patience and long Suffering are the Christians that are so not in Name only but in Nature found in these Perillous times Again have not some Souldiers been turned out of their places yea and brought into suffering for countenancing and favouring the Sober Innocent true Christians among whom some for fear of Suffering may in some respect desert the Truth as some faithless ones among the ancient Christians did yet we know certainly there are a Remnant that cannot bow their knee to Baall but would chuse rather to die the death which many ancient Christians suffered then they will forsake the Lords Truth or Transgress his Righteous Law by breaking his commands The Eighth Persecution IN the year 259. did the eighth Persecution arise under the Emperour Valerianus who put forth a Proclamation against the Christians wherein he forbad their Meetings and when this Proclamation or Order was not observed then did there follow a great Persecution of the Christians in which there was very many put to death and some were Banished and they converted of the Heathen in the place to which they were Banished but the Emperour under whom the Christians thus suffered did not go unreproved for his cruelty for he was taken Prisoner by the King of Persia who made use of him for a Foot-stool when he got up upon his Horse c. Note Hath it not happned so in England that by the Kings Proclamation the Meetings of the true Christians have been forbidden And when that they observed the Kings Proclamation no more then the antient Christians observed the Emperours hath not a great Persecution followed have not many of the Prisons he silled with them partly because they could not Swear and partly because they continved their Meetings when they were forbidden by the Kings Proclamation as the Religion of the Christians was forbidden by the Laws of the Heathen and therefore did the Heathen with much rigour pronounce these words unto the Christians Your Religion is forbidden by the Laws c. And did not Anti-christians the like when they abused them in their Meetings and broke them up with much Violence did they not also pronounce these words with much Rigour Your Meetings are forbidden by the Kings Proclamation c. And forasmuch as the true Christians now have chused rather to suffer Bonds and Imprisonment yea the spoyling of their Goods and what not then they would renounce the Faith deny their Religion or forsak the Assembling of themselves together it doth therefore appear that the same mind is found in them now which was heretofore in the antient Christians who chused rather to suffer the loss of their Lives then to forsake him for whose cause they suffered yet we see their Persecutors did not always go unreproved Oh! that other Kings Princes and Magistrates would take warning from that which happened to these Persecuting Emperours The Ninth Persecution IN the year 273. did the ninth Persecution arise under the Emperour Aurelianus but this Persecution was not so great as the other because he was cut off by death soon after he had determined the same yet in this Persecution was Felix the Bishop of Rome put to Death with several others here and there in divers places Note Often doth the Lord frustate the purposes and Determinations of such as conspire Mischief against his People yea have we not seen sundry Powers overturned in England and Parliments broken up and Councels if not Committees also shattered to pieces when they have been determined to do Wickedly so that sometime they have not had power to bring that forth which they had Conceived and brought to the Birth so mightily hath the Lord confounded their Conspiracies and brought their devices to nought and this the true Christians have concluded to be the Lords doing which they have beheld and which thing hath been indeed marvelous in their Eyes The Tenth Persecution IN the year 302. begun the Tenth Persecution which was so great that it exceeded all that had been before it not only in cruelty but in continuance for it continued 12 Years Eusebius who lived at that time Writes of it at large in his Eclesiastical History saying it was occasioned through the freedom of the Christians who were come into great Reputation and were put in places of Office to Rule in Countrys and Cities but through their prosperity and voluptuousness Brotherly Love came to decrease Haughtyness and Pride got up and in stead of the worship of God an insolent authority begun to get up in the Church of the Christians And at that time the Emperour Diocletianus gave forth a Proclamation wherein he commanded that all the Christian Churches should be pulled down and the Holy Scriptures Burned and that the Christians should be turned out of their places with other such like things After that there came another Order that they should cause the chief of of the Church to offer unto Idols or else they were to be put to
one Friend fell upon another yea the Parents put their Children to death and to be short the one cut the others Throat Moreover the Emperour Julianus gave out a Proclamation that such as would not renounce the Christian Faith mould Warfare no longer in the Emperours Palace likewise that all should prepare themselves to Sacrifice and that no Christian should bear office in the common Wealth For their Law saith he forbideth the use of the Sword unto such as deserved death and therefore they are not fit to be Magistrates Afterwards he devised a certain slight to wring Money from the Christians for he set a great fine upon the Heads of such as would not Sacrifice and the Tax was very grievous and duly demanded of the Christians Then did the Heathen insult over the Christians and the Governours of Provinces suposing now that it was High Tyde for them under colour of the Emperours Religion to make up their Bagges vexed the Christians far sorer then the Emperours Proclamation bore them out demanded greater Tax then they were sessed at and some time Tormented their Bodys The Emperour understanding of their doings winked at them and answered the Christians which complained unto him in this sort it is your part when you have injuries offered unto you to take the same patiently for so your God commanded you The Emperour made a Law that the Christians should not be trained up in prophane Literature i. e. learning or cunning Grammer Writing for saith he seeing they have the gift of utterance so readily they shall easely be able to overthrow the quirks of Logick wherewith the Gentills i. e. Heathen do uphold their Doctrine c. Note As this Apostatized Emperour Julianus exceeded many of his Predecessors in Subtilty and Wickedness even so have many Apostatized professing Christians exceeded the common sort of Ignorat People in Hypocrisie and Craftiness in Deceipt and Spiritual Wickedness so that the Sufferings of the true Christians have been very great under such as they were under this Emperour Iulianus and as theirs are at this present whose Sufferings are augmented oftentimes through the Covetousness and Cruelty of Inferiour Magistrates whose Wickedness now is not only wincked and connived at but Tollerated and Countenanced by their Superiors Hath not this been appearent enough at sundry times in Englland where the chief Officers have been privy to the unjust and illegal proceedings of their under Officers and yet they have passed it by as if it had not been worthy of Reproof in the mean time the Innocent Harmless and true Christians they have suffered the spoyling of their Goods and that because they would not Swear nor Pay Tythes to an Hireling Priest nor be conformable to the National way of Worship for Conscience sake no more then the antient Christians could Sacrifice or Uphold the Worship of the Heathenish Gods for the refusing of which they suffered as before mentioned but it was indeed by and under the Heathen who did neither owne nor profess the Doctrine of Christ like as the antient Christians doe who in many things are found as much out of it as the Heathen were and so consequently rather in the practise of the Heathen then in his Doctrine who said Love your Enemies Bless them that Curse you do good to them that hate you and Pray for them which Dispitefully use and Persecute you Math. 5. 44. But this Doctrine is little more regarded by some Anti-Christians then by the Heathen themselves whose manner was to uphold their Doctrine by quirks of Logick even as the Priests do now for when they cannot uphold their Doctrine and maintain their Religion by Spiritual Weapons then will they betake themselves unto their quirks of Logick and when they are Insufficient for them then do they ordinarly make their addresses unto them in Authority for to crave their help and assistance but this was not the practise of the ancient Christians neither is it the matter of the true Christians now but the custom of the Anti-Christians who are found in the practise of the Heathen I have read how that when the Nicene Counsel was Sommoned which consisted of above three hundred Bishops besides the Priests Deacons and others which were heard to be numbered the Logicians busied themselves propounding against divers others certain preambles of Disputation and when divers were there drawn to disptuation and allured as it were by bait a Lay-man that is not one of the Clergy who was of a simple and sincere mind set himself against the Logitians and told them thus in plain words That neither Christ nor his Apostles had delivered unto us the Art of Logick neither vain Falacies i. e. crafty devises but an open and plain mind to be preserved of us with Faith and good Works Afterwards the Logitians quieted themselves and held with his Sentence Logick Note Thus we see that this Art of Logick in which the Heathens were very expert and by the quirks of which they upheld their Doctrine was not approved of by all the ancient Christians tho is begun to creep in amongst them when they Appostized but by some it was testified against then as it is now by the true Christians who are in the life and power of Godliness which was before this Sophiestical and deceitful Art was by the quirks of which Persecutors have upheld their Doctrine and by the quirks of it Persecutors do uphold their Doctrine but so did not Christ nor his Apostles nor the ancient suffering Christians neither doth the true Christians now who abide in the Light and Doctrine of their Lord and Master who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords blessed for ever more The Histories do relate that in these twelve Persecutions which were against the Christian Church the Blood of about five hundred thousand was shed and that among all these that Suffered there was not one that by Weapons revenged himself but patience was their Armour and thereby did they conquer the severity of the Emperours Relig. Vryh Lib. 1. Fol. 198. Note Therefore such Christians now as suffer patiently for Righteousnes sake without resisting or revenging themselves by violence with carnal Weapons are rather found in the Spirit and Practise of the ancient Christians then revengeful persecuting men who are commonly called Christians yet do not only do wrong to their Brethren and Fellow Creatures but are also found revenging themselves of the wrong done unto them by others contrary to the Doctrine of the Apostle and contrary to the Practise of the ancient Christians in which Doctrine and Practise the true Christians are found Thus have I very briefly run through these twelve remarkable Persecutions which were Sustained by the Antient Christians under the Heathen Here followeth a short Relation of some Persecution which was by some false Christians after they were Apostatized from the Faith and Patience Love and long Suffering which the true Christians retained while they abode in the
prayer A Counsel held at Caesar Augusta accursed such as received the Sacrament and eat it not in the Church A General Counsel was called at Constantinople which decreed that Mary should be called the mother of God Anno 583. The First and second Synods were called at Lyons for the removing of Schism i. e. divisions in matters of Religion raised in the Church Six Synods were held at Rome touching the Electon of a Bishop and the preservation of Church goods c. Malum Consilium Consultori pessimum THese things have I thought good here to recapitulate or briefly to rehearse to the end that the great Apostasie so often spoken of might be evidently manifest to all and the great fall and revolution of the Church from the Apostles Doctrin and Practise For when they assembled together it doth not appear that there was such discord and divisions such strife and aâ—…tipathy such brawling and contention in their general assemblies as there was in the Counsels before mentioned neither did they manifest such a bitter spirit of enmity and discord when they chused Mathias in the room of Judas nor yet when they chused the seven Disciples Acts 1. Chap. 6. Moreover when the Apostles and Elders and Brethren were assembled together to determin what was best to be done touching the doctrin sowed by certain that came from Judea which taught the Brethren saying That except they were circumcised after the manner of Moses they could not be saved after they had debated the Matter they decreed with one accord to send chosen men unto the Gentiles and to injoyn them to abstain from things offered to Idols and blood from that which was strangled and from fornication c. But it doth not appear that they out of spite condemned or excommunicated those of Iudea and held them forthwith for acursed because of their error like as the Apostatized Bishops and Clergy men have done one with another and one unto another as appeareth from what I have before rehearsed Again when Paul came to Ierusalem he went with the Brethren unto Iames where all the Elders were assembled and there they determined what they thought best to be done and decreed that Paul should purifie himself according unto the Law c. These Counsels or General Assemblies oâ—… the Apostles and Brethren the Scripture makes mention of yet it doth not appear from the Scripture that the Apostles and Brethren Decreed the Celebration of the Feast of Easter or that none should be made Priest till they were thirty years old neither doth it appear that they brawled about men and agreed upon nothing nor yet that they ordered Lessons to be read in the Church between certain Psalms neither doth it appear from the Scripture that they decreed that Lent should be righteously observed and that the Priests should not marry nor yet that Infants should be baptized Neither doth it appear that they decreed that the Clergy should wear a different Attire from other men or that such Divine service as the Metropolitan liked of should be retained I say it doth not appear that they to wit the Apostles and Brethren decreed these or such like things in their Counsells but that since the Apostles days they have been decreed by the Synods and Counsels which have been in the Apostasie and yet at this day many of them are taught for doctrins though they be but the traditions of fallible Synods and Counsels as I have shewn Inclinemus igitur aurum verbo Dei in corde non ex Conciliis contendentium Episcoporum non ex Disputationibus novitiis non ex forensibus manicipalibus gestis sed in nostris cordibus veritatem quaeramus The Iudgment of some notable men concerning SYNODS i. e. general or universal Assemblies â—…nd Counsels together with their Effects I. IN the days of Berardus the Church of Rome was polluted with many superstitions and Baudaert said that the Bishops were rather biters of sheep then true Shepheards And upon a time when he was in a Counsel of the Clergy and had seen how unchristianly they dealt he said Sometime I have admired that among the little number of the twelve Apostles there was a Traitor but now do I wonder much more that among this great number of so many Bishops and Prelats that one upright Disciple of Christ cannot be found Apop Chr. lib. 13. pag. 260. Daar geen Godvreesendheid bij en is Daar is 't hoe geleerder hoe verkeerder Where ther 's neither God's fear nor godliness Ther 's the more learn'dess the more perversness II Gregorius Theologus who lived about three hundred years after the birth of Christ said That he had promised and determined never to come at Synods forasmuch as he observed that always there came more evil then good out of them for the ambitiousness and contention of the Bishops is above measure said he Anno 300. III. The Reformed Protestants testified that Synods and Counsels which strove upon the earth might err and with the most voyces conclude Lies in this or the other point according to what experience in all ages hath taught Eub. ch 28 29 c. IV. D. Calvin testified that Prophets and Pastours the Church Counsels have erred And that God hath often discovered that in Counsels which was humane to the end that People should not rely or depend too much upon men Instit. 4. ix ch 3. V. Boudaert said in Gilterland's Synod Soffragia non ponderanda sed numeranda esie i. e. that voyces were not to be pondred but numbred but said he if the Church reign in this manner or deal with voyces shall not the most evil surprize the best which is the least for is it not so most commonly and when that the Shepheards come to be changed into wolves are not the innocent harmless sheep then in pittiful danger Espetially saith he when Rulers of Cities are stirred up by passionate Priests VI. D. Pareus said Often hath the Truth suffered wrong in Synods because all that were assembled agreed in one error so that the truth came often times to be abandoned and with silence passed by Iren. 57. p. VII It hath been said the Church judged of the Doctrine of the Church According to this saying shall the Papists Church judge of the the doctrine of Popery the Lutherans the Calvinists the Anabaptists and every one of them but what such a judgment is this otherwise then that which is daily practised by their one condemning another and every one maintaining his own Sect So saith Hilarius What unity or edification is there in such work and in so much following partial Counsels or conferences None at all said he VIII Beza declared expresly that the Church and Counsel might err and that they had often erred and that the Devil in some old Counsels had sitten as President in them IX The Professors of Leyden said We see that particulars have not only erred but General Counsels for shepheards may also be devoures
Schools of Learning but brought up to a Trade to catch Fish and mend Nets most of the Apostles being taken from the meanest Trades and all of them Paul excepted unfurnished of all Arts of Learning and the advantage of liberal and ingenious Education and yet these were the Men that were design'd to rund down the world and to overturn the Learning of the Prudent certainly had humane wisdom been to manage the business it would have taken quit other Measures and chosen out the profoundest Rabbins the accutest Philosophers the smoothest Oratours such as would have been most likly by strength of Reason and Arts of Rhetorick to have triumphed over the Minds of Men to Graple with the stubbornness of the Iews and baffle the the finer Notion and Speculation of the Greeks but it being otherways it is plainly evident that they taught Christianity by a Divine Power the sum of the discourse is in the Apostles words 1 Cor. 1. 27. 28. that God chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise the weak to confound those that are mighty In the Enumeration of the Apostles all the Evangelist constantly place Peter in the front and Matthew expressly tells us that he was the first that is he was the first Called to be an Apostle his Age also and the gravity of his person more particularly qualifying him for a Primar of Order amongst the rest of the Apostles Yea our Lord chose him to be his more intimate Companion whom he admitted more familiarly than the rest in all the most secrets passages and transactions of his Life Peter Preached such a Sermon in the Name of Iesus of Nazareth the effect of which was so strange and wonderful there being that day added to the Church no less then Three thousand Souls a quit and plentiful Harvest and though the Converting so vast a multitude might justly Challenge a place amongst the greatest Miracles yet the Apostles began now more particulars Acts 3. 1 to exercise their Miraculous power and Peter and Iohn going up to the Temple about the hour of prayer they found a poor impotent Criple who though above forty years old had been lame from his birth lying at the beautiful Gate of the Temple and asking an Alms of them Peter carelessly looking on him told him he had no mony to give him but that he would give him that which was much better restore him to his health and lifting him up by the hand commanded him in the Name of Iesus of Nazareth to rise up and walk the word was no sooner said than the thing was done while Peter was this working Miracles and discoursing to the People in one place we may suppose that Iohn was Preaching to them in another and the success was answerable there being by this means no fewer than five thousand brought over to the Faith Acts 4. 4. Whilest the Apostles were thus Preaching the Priests and Saduces who hated Christianity intimated to the Magistrates the danger thereof seized on the Apostles and cast them into Prison Acts 4. 1. the next day they were brought before the Jewish Sanhedrims and being asked by what power and authority they had done this Peter resolutely answered in the Name of Iesus of Nazareth whom they themselves had Crucified and God had raised from the dead and made head of the Corner and that there was no other way to expect Salvation but by him c. Great was the boldness of the Apostles admired at by the Sanhedrim it self especially when this was the very Court that had so lately Sentenced and Condemned their Master the Council commanded them to Preach no more in the Name of Iesus but Peter and Iohn replied that they could by no means yeild Obedience thereunto appealing to themselves whether it was not more fit that they should obey God rather than them and that they could not but testifie what they had seen and heard The Church exceedingly multplied by these means and that so great a company most whereof were poor might be maitained they generally sold their Estates and brought their mony to the Apostles to be by them disposed in one common Treasury and thence distributed according to the several exigent of the Church which gave occasion to the dreadful instance Ananias and his wife Acts 5. 1. Saphire having taken upon them the profession of the Gospel according to the free and generous Spirit of those times and had Consecrated and Devoted their Estates to the honour of God and the necessity of the Church and accordingly sold their possessions and turn'd them into mony but as they were willing to gain the reputation of Charitable Persons so were they loth wholy to cast themselves upon the Divine Providence by letting go all at once and therefore privately with-held part of what they had divoted and bringing the rest laid it all at the Apostles feet hoping thereby they might a deceived the Apostles though immediately guided by the spirit of God Peter at his first coming in treated Ananias with these sharp inquiries Why he should suffer Satan to fill his heart with so big a wickedness as by keeping back his Estate to think to dceive the holy Ghost that before it was sold it were holy at his one disposing and after it was perfectly in his own power fully to have performed his Vow so that it was capable of no other interpretation then that herein he had not only abused and injured Men but mocked God and what in him lay lyed too and cheated the holy Ghost who they knew was privy to the most secret thoughts and proposes of his heart This was no sooner said but suddenly to the great terrour and amazement of all that were present Ananias was Arrested with a stroke from Heaven and fell down dead to the ground not long after his wife come in whom Peter entertained with the same severe reproofs wherewith he had her husband adding that the like sad fate and doom should immediately seize her who thereupon drapt down dead as she had been Copartners with him in the sin becoming sherer with him in the Punishment an instance of great severity filling all that heard it with fear and terrour and become a seasonable prevention of that hypocrisie and dissimulation wherewith many might possibly think to have imposed upon the Church this severe case being extraordinary the Apostles usually exerted their power in such Miracles as were more useful and beneficial to the world curing all manner of diseases and disposessing Devils Acts 2. 12. Insomuch that they brought the sick into the Street and laid them upon Beds and Couches that at least Peter's shadow as he passed by might come upon them these aftonishing Miracles could not but mightily contribute to the propagation of the Church and convince the world that the Apostles were more considerable Persons than they took them for Poverty and Meanss being no bar to true worth and greatness thus Peter who converted the world not by power
of Arms not by Engins or Artificers of Pomp and Gradeur but by Faith in the Power of Christ the Jewish Rulers alarm'd with this news and awaken'd with the growing numbers of the Church sent to apprehend the Apostles and cast them into Prison but God who is never wanting to his one cause sent that night an Angel from Heaven to open the Prison doors commanding them to Repair to the Temple and exercise their Ministery which they did early in the morning and there taught the People how unsuccessful are the projects of the wisest States-men when God frowns upon them how little do any Councils against heaven prosper in vain is it to shut the doors where God is resolved to open them the firmest bars the strongest chains cannot hold when once God has designed and decreed our Liberty the Officer returning the next morning acquainted the Council who much wondered at it sent for them and asked them how they durst propagate that Doctrine they had so strictly commanded them not to Preach Peter in the name of the rest told them that they must in this case obey God rather than Men so vexed was the the council with his answer that they began to cosider how to cut them off but Gamaliel a grave and learned Senatour prevented it by commanding the Apostles to withdraw and then bid the Council take heed what they did putting them in mind that several Persiâ—…ns had heretofore raised Partys and Factions in great numbers but came to nothing and therefore they would do well to let these men alone for if their Doctrine and design were mearly humain they would in time of themselves fall to the ground but if of God all their power and polisie would never be able to defeat and overturn them and that hearing they themselves would appear to appose the Council and design of Heaven with this prudent answer they gave them their Liberty commanding them to be only scourged and charged them no more to Preach this Doctrin but their hard usage did not in the least discourage them to their duty to God or less zealous and diligent both publick and private to Preach Christ every where Peter was dispatched by the Apostles to consirm the Church newly planted at Samaria where he baffled and silenced Simon Magus he is again cast into Prison by Herod Agrippa but as miraculously delivered by an Angel He is again with Paul cast into Prison by Nero the Emperor who is resolved now the Apostles shall fall as a Victime and sacrifice to his cruilty and revenge Peter is desired by his companion to make his Escape and accordingly did but meeting his Lord Peter asked him Lord whether art thou going who answered I am come to Rome to be Crucified a Second time by which Peter apprehended himself to be reproved and that our Lord ment he was to be Crucified a second time in his servant and so returned back to the Prison and it is reported that in the stone where our Lord stood while he talked with Peter he left the impression of his feet which stone hath been ever since preserved as a sacred Relique before his suffering he was no question scourged according to Custom and having saluted his Brethren more especially Paul he was brought out of Prison and led to the top of the Vatican Mount near to Tybur to be executed the death he was adjudged to was Crucifiction but he intreated the Officer that he might not be Crucified the Common way but might suffer with his head downwards affirming he was not worthy to suffer in the same posture as his Lord suffered as Chrysostom glosses to be set in the rediest posture of travelling from Earth to Heaven his body being taken from the Cross is said to have been embalmed by Marcellinus the Presbiter after the Iews manner and was then buried in the Vatican near the triumphant way The description of his Person HIS Body if we may believe the description given him by Nicephorus was somewhat slender of a Midle size but rather inclining to Tallness his Complection very pale and almost white the hair of his Head curled and thick but withal short his Eyes black but speak with read which Baronius will have to proceed from his much weeping his Nose long but rather broad and flat than sharp such was the case of that Jewel that was within he was very Eager in his Temper which like a whetstone sharpned his Soul for all bold and generous undertakings The Life of Paul THough Paul was none of the Twelve Apostles yet had he the Honour of being an Apostle extraordinary and to be immediately Called in a way peculiar to himself he justly deserves a place next Peter for in their Lives they were pleasant and lovely so at their deaths they were not devided especially if it be true that they both suffered not only for the same cause but at the same time Paul was born at Tarsus the Metropolis of Cilicia a City infinitely Rich and Popular and what Contributed more to the Fame and Honour of it an Academy furnished with Schools of Learning where the Scholars so closly plyed their Studys that as Strabo informs us they excelled in all Arts of Politeck Learning and Philosophy his Parence was Iews and that of the Antients Stock not entring in by the Gate of Proselitism but Originally desended from that Nation which surely he meanswhen he says that he was an Hebrew of the Hebrews his Parents belonged to the Tribe of Benjamin whose Founder was the younger Son of the Old Patriarch Iacob who thus provisied of him Benjamen shall Raven as a Wolf in the Morning he shall devour the prey and at Night he shall devide the Spoyl this Prophetical Character Tertullian and others will have to be accomplished in our Apostle as a Ravening Wolf in the Morning devouring his prey that is as a Persecutor of the Church in the first part of his Life destroying the Flock of God in the Evening deviding the Spoyl that is in his declining Age as Doctor of the Nation feeding and distributing to Christ Sheep we find him described in Scripture by two Names the one Saul a name common in the Tribe of Benjamen his other was Paul asumed to him as some think at his Conversion to denote his humility in his youth he was brought up in the Schools of Tarsus fully instructed in all the Liberal Arts and Sciences whereby he came admirably aquainted with famous and external Authors having run through the whole Circle of the Sciences and laid the sure foundation of humain Learning at Tarsus he was by his Parance sent to Ierusalem to be perfected in the Study of the Law it is said when Stephen was Executed Paul stood by and kept the Clothes of them that did it whether he was any farther conserned in the death of this innocent Man we do not find however it was enough loudly to Proclaim his approbation and consent and therefore we find him