of this a litteral knowledge may in part be obtained of the Fruits Doctrines Principles and Practises of the Apostatized Christians after their degeneration of their Synods and Counsels and what they Decreed of the temptations and provocations which they had who retained their integrity both from the Heathen and from the false Christians and how sad and lamentable their conditions were that did not continue faithful which may serve for examples to such among you beloved as are inconstant and of a doubtful mind let them look upon Origen and hear what he saith in his lamentation after his fall and let them consider the Faith and patience of such as chuseth rather to die than they would swear or sacrifice renounce the faith or deny their Lord and Master and therefore were some torn in pieces of wild beasts some Crucified some beheaded some stoned to death some stifled some fryed or Rosted some burned to ashes some hanged some brained some had their eyes pulled out and the empty place seared with a hot Iron some were drowned in the Sea some fettered and famished to death in noysome Prisons and dungeons Oh the torments that they endured are hard to be uttered and that about the exercise of their Conscience and the worship of their God And truly I must tell you O beloved that I was constrained to lay those things before you that if peradventure they might in any wise tend to the Confirming and strengthening of the faith of some to the forewarning of others of shrinking in the time of tryal and to the strengthening of the hands of the weak and feeble against their Persecutors who also hereby may see what judgment and misery came upon sundry of their Persecuting fore-fathers so that in my judgment it may be of use not only to you who are persecuted but also to your oppressors and persecutors who now persist in their wickedness and impiety as if they should never come to judgment for the same well my dearly beloved be not you discomforted and cast down in your spirits because the wicked is set up and the ungodly prospers in his ways and the workers of iniquity they are counted happy yet it was not thus in the beginning neither shall it allways so continue for the Lord our God in his due time will strik the hook into the jaw of the Leviathan so that he shall be Restrained and the pure and upright in heart shall be delivered out of his paw and snare into the glorious liberty of the Children of God wherefore let none be afraid who are called to follow the lamb in this Notable day for I am perswaded that Tribulation nor Persecution Exilment nor Banishment Fire nor Sword things present nor things to come though all these do come shall not be able to seperate us from that love which we are made partakers of in Christ Jesus our Lord in whom I bid you farewel my dearly beloved A GENERAL EPISTLE FOR Young Schoollars and LITTLE CHILDREN Dear Children REmember Your Creator and the end wherefore you were Created now in the day of your Youth before you grow Old in Sin and take rooting in corrupt ground of Unighteousness incline your hearts to Holiness and to the Fear of the Lord that you may abound in wisdom and knowledge learn you to know a tender principle in your hearts to teach and instruct you to withhold and restrain you from Folly and Wantonness from frivolous or vain Gaming and Sporting your selves with idle Toyes and unprofitable Playes which do not only strengthen that which is thereunto addicted in your selves but doth toyle and weary your tender bodies And when you sit down at night some times hungry and often weary consider then what you have reaped by your Playes Sports and Pastimes have you not thereby some time provoked your Tutors to Wrath and Anger against you for neglecting of your Books and Learning have you not also offended and grieved your Parents by your neglect of your business and imployment And then you being sencible of your Fault and Transgression the shew of your Countenance that witnesseth against you and inwardly you are perplexed and terrified partly through fear of your Tutors and partly through fear of your Parents when through your Folly you have procured their Displeasure and then are you afraid of Chastisement now if for the time to come you would be freed from this fear do that which is good by being diligent and keeping in the fear of the Lord and then shall you obtain Praise and Commendation both of your Parents and Tutors Again O Children when you are together whether in Families Schools or else where be not Wild Rude Brutish nor provoke not one another to Folly and Wantonness but be Sober Gentle Meek and Civil and let the Fear of the Lord be before your eyes least you sall into Condemnation And you that are of a Mild Gentle and Tender Nature who seel something in your Hearts restraining you from the Evil which abounds among your fellows if you cannot get dominion over it while you are with them then separate your selves from them at convenient seasons and pertake not with them in their Wantonness in their Folly Plays Sports and Pastimes but rather betake your selves to your Books or in some retired place to wait upon the Lord And if they that be Wild and Wanton through their play and wantonness do get Recreation to their Bodies you through your stillness and waiting upon the Lord shall get Refreshment to their Souls in which you shall have joy and pleasure when they shall be ashamed of their folly and have trouble and sorrow for the same When I was A School boy I was for many years as much inclined to wantonness and play as my Fellows though sometime I was enticed and drawn by them into things which I knew then certainly to be evil and contrary to the tender principle of God in my Conscience yet rather than I would be behind them in their wonton childish follies and thereby have come to have been jeered and derided by them I chused rather at that time to run with them to the same excess of vanity though I knew for certain I ought not to have done it and when for the same I came to be corrected by my Tutor and judged of the Lord I was made to confess that it was just and that I had justly deserved the same Afterwards through the mercy and goodness of the Lord I came to be farther Illuminated or enlightned before I left the School And come to have a perfect sense of true judgment being set up in my heart And then I came to be filled with Sorrow and Heaviness for the loss of my mispent pretious time and the Sins of my Youth even while I was yet a youth were brought exceeding fresh into my remembrance and became in those daies my great burthen and withal in those daies my study and learning became also burthensome and not
these alone but especially the wantonness and rudness folly and naughtiness of my School fellows that also became grievous unto me at times and a dread and fear was upon me when I minded the Lord that I durst not run with them to folly and wantonness as I had done before So that when they have gone to play I have retired my self into some private place to ponder upon the things which the Lord put into my heart And when with a retired mind and upright heart I came in sincerity to wait upon the Lord then came my Soul to feel some secret Communion with him and to receive some Crummes of living Refreshment from him and then was I joyful in him at night whereas formerly I had sorrow and heaviness by reason of my folly and wantonness But then again at other times when I neglected waiting upon the Lord in the Light of his Son in my heart and that I came to be entiâ—…ed by my School-fellows or some of them to go with them too or to joyn with them in or partake with them of one vanity or another And some time rather then I would displease them or one especially unto whom I was then obliged I have consenâ—…ed to their request and some time I have seemed to be cheerful and merry among them in the time of our pastime when it was more in Appearance than in my heart that being smitten and I inwardly wounded for my folly and vanity unto which I had condescended yet I allowed not of it nevertheless that which I the Light hated and would not that I that was born in sin did and â—…mbraced and even then a good desire was present with me in my heart but how to perform it knew not otherwise then through the Cross yet on these daies when I did well through keeping in the fear of the Lord then was it well with me but when I condescended to evil and was thereby overcome inwardly and outwardly then was my troubles and sorrow great and my stripes many and that in the daies of my youth but since I have seen it to be the everlasting love of God to me These things I rehearse unto you whereby you may understand how the Lord dealt with me and how it was with me while I was yet a Scholar to the end that you may somewhat the better know how to behave your selves I mean you that are tender among them that are wild and rude in Schools where you are Appointed to learn and to be instructed Moreover dear Children I have considered how that many of you are naturally Inclining to knowledge and understanding in the things which are Laudable or worthy of praise among juditious men And these things which I have here Composed being worthy not only of Recording but also of perusing I have thought them very fit for you to Learn or read at home and at Schools yea fitter then other writings which are hard to be understood and beyond your weak Childish Capacity to Comprehend for the much reading of such deep things which you can not perceive nor Comprehend doth rather dull your understanding then enliven your senses and rather mitigates your desires then kindles your inclinations to Reading and Learning But as for many of those things which I have here published they are so worthy to be looked into and the knowledge of them may be so good and profitable that after you are entred into the reading of them your desires may be augmented or enlarged not only to look over part of them but even to see the end and Conclusion of them that henceforth they may be retained by you in your minds that when you see things fall out of the same nature in this your age then you may remember hâ—…w that many of our Ancestors have suffered and sustained a great Fight of sore Afflictions And that the same you may Communicate to your Children that they also may hear of them and Learn them For Irenaeus in his Epistle to Florinus said I remember better the things of old then the Affairs of Late for the things we Learn in our Childhood sink farther into our minds and grow together with us Euseb. Lib. 5. Ch. 18. Now for your furtherance and profit O Little Children have I in part taken some what the more time in this matter that so I might explain and interpret the most hard words I met withal In this Abridgment and that as I found them that you might understand them even as you read them for I believe there are but few of the School-masters that do teach those Children that do only read English rightly to understand such hard words when they meet with them in their Lessons as you may find in this following Treatise explained And thus may you know my interpretation of them which I have Commonly written in a Parenthesis as for example Let the whole Clergy mourn i. e. Bishops Priests Deacons or the whole number of them that take upon them the Ministry Again the Antient Christians were forbidden formerly to hold Conventicles i. e. private Assemblies or meetings that are small in which there is Plotting and Conspiring against the Powers or that are for other evil ends such are commonly called Conventicles These two Letters i. e. serve for id est which is as much as to say that is likewise in the margent of the first Part of my Book you may often find Lib. and a certain figure with it as Lib. 4. know ye O Little Children that Lib. serves for Liber which by interpretation is a Book as Lib. 4. the forth Book And Ch. serves for Chapter and such as the figure is that followes Ch such is the Chapter as Lib. 4. Ch. 15. that is the fourth Book and fifteenth Chapter Moreover the use of the Index or Table is this Suppose you would know something concerning the Christians formerly whether of their Prosperity or Sufferings Then turn to the Table which I have placed in the begining of the First Part of my Book and see for the Letter C which when you have found then see in what Book or Chapter that is to be found which you desire to see And then and there with very little trouble when you come to understand my directions aright may you find the thing So that the choicest things in the first part of my book may you soon find out by the help of the Index if your time will not permit you to look through the whole Yet this ought you to note that the aforesaid Index serves only to the former part of my book in which some of the things contained in the latter part are to be found more at Large And as concerning the Twelve Persecutions which I have here inserted they are so exceeding largly Treated on in the Book of Martyrs that there are but few that will take the pains to look them through nor not many of the Vulgar or Common sort of people that will or can
own murtherer l. 2. c. 7. Plinus secundus the Christians great friend l. 3. c. 30. Polycarpus's nobility and Constancy untill death l. 4. c. 15. Pothinus dyed in prison l. 5. c. 1. Polycrates of the death of John and Philip the Apostles l. 3. c. 28. A Proclamation against the Christians l. 6. c. 40. Priests sedition among themselves about Tythes l. 2. c. 20. R. ROman Empire prosperous whâ—…le the Christians injoyed their Liberty in it l. 8. c. 14. S. SAnctus's constancy and Martyrdom l. 5. c. 1 Concerning the Scriptures l. 5. c. 28. Sects among the Jews l. 4. 21. Simeon the Bishops Martyrdom l. 3. 29. Simon Magus the 〈◊〉 l. 2. c. 13. The Church of Sâ—…yrna's Epistle to other Churches l. 4. c. 15. A Synod summoned to Rome l. 10. c. 5. T. THaddaeus cured King Agbarus but would receive no money for his cure nor for his preaching l. 1. c. 14. Theodisia a virgins suffering l. 8. c. 25. Theudas the soycerer beheaded l. 2. c. 11. V. VAlerianus was at the first mild and gentle towards the Christians but afterwards he became exceeding cruell l. 7. c. 6. Urbanus a cauel persecutor fell into great misery l. 8. c. 25. Y. YOung and Old were injoynd to Sacrifice unto the Gods of the Heathens l. 8. c. 27. Hoc genus literarum non cum credendi necessitate sed cum judicandi libertate legendum est This kind of Writings is to be read not with a necessity of believing them but with a liberty to judge of them The First BOOK OF EUSEBIUS PAMPHILUS The Definition of a Christian. EUSEBIUS saith in his first Book of his Ecclesiastical History in the fifth Chapter That he that will express the Name of a Christian must be such a Man as excelleth through the Knowledge of Christ and his Doctrine in modesty and righteousness of Mind in continency i. e. chastity of Life in vertuous Fortitude i. e. Srength and in Confession of sincere Piety i. e. Godliness towards the one and the only universal God Of the Martyrdom of John Baptist and the Testimony of Josephus touching Christ. In the 12th Chap. of the aforesaid Book Euseb. speaking of Iohn Baptist Relates how that when divers flocked together for many greatly delighted in hearing of him Herod fearing least that so forcible a Power of persuading which was with him should lead the People into a certain Rebellion he supposed it far better to bereave him of his Life before any Novelty were by him put in use than that change with danger being come in place he should repent him and say Had I wist Thus Iohn because of Herod's suspicion was sent toward and there beheaded In the same Chapter he repeats what Iosephus wrote of Christ saying there was at that time one Jesus A wise Man if it be lawful to call him a Man a worker of Miracles a Teacher of them that received the Truth with gladness he drew after him many as well of the Jews as Gentiles This same was Christ and though Pilate by the Judgment of the chief Rulers amongst us delivered him to be Crucified yet there wanted not them which from the beginning loved him Of him the Christian People borrow their Name The Epistle of King Agbarus unto Iesus Christ. Agbarus Governour of Edessa unto Jesus the good Saviour shewing himself in Ierusalem sendeth greeting I have heard of thee and thy Cures which thou hast done without Medicines Herbes For as the Report goeth thou makest the Blind to see the Lame to go the Lepers thou cleansest foul Spirits and Devils thou castest out the long diseased thou restorest to Health and raisest the Dead to Life When that I heard these things of thee I imagined with my self one of these two things either that thou art God come from Heaven and dost these things or the Son of God that bringest such things to pass wherefore by these my Letters I beseech thee to take the pains to come unto me and that thou wilt cure this my grievous Malady i. e. Disease or Sickness wherewith I am sore vexed I have heard moreover that the Jews murmur against thee and go about to mischief thee I have here a little City and an Honest which will suffice us both The Epistle of Christ unto Agbarus Agbarus blest art thou because thou hast believed in me when thou sawest me not for it is written of me that they which see me shall not believe in me that they which see me not may believe and be saved Concerning that that thou wrotest unto me that I should come unto thee I let thee understand that all things touching my Message are here to be fulfilled and after the fulfilling thereof I am to return again unto him that sent me but after my Assumption i. e. taking up I will send one of my Disciples unto thee which shall cure thy Malady and restore Life to thee and them that be with thee Unto these Epistles there was a Narration added in the Syrian Tongue which sheweth how that after Jesus Ascention there was one of his Disciples sent to the City where Agbarus resided and when the King heard of him he sent for him and when Thaddaeus the Disciple and one of the 70 heard the Message he said I go for it is for his sake that I am sent thus mightily to work And when he was come to the King he asked him saying Art thou of Truth a Disciple of Jesus the Son of God which made me this Promise I will send unto thee one of my Disciples which shall cure thy Disease and shall shew Life unto thee and all thine To whom Thaddaeus made Answer because thou hast greatly believed in the Lord Jesus which sent me therefore am I sent unto thee but in case that thou believest in him as yet thy hearty Petitions according unto thy Faith thou shalt obtain To whom Agbarus said I have continued so believing in him that I could have found in my Heart mightily to destroy the Jews which Crucified him were not the Roman Empire a lett unto my purpose Thad said again our Lord and God Jesus Christ fulfilled the Will of his Father which being finished he is ascended unto him Agb. Answered and I have believed in him and in his Father To whom Thad replies therefore in the Name of the same Lord â—…esu I lay my Hand upon thee which when he had done he was forthwith cured of his Malady and delivered of the Pain that pressed him sore Agbarus marvelled at this that even as it was reported to him of Jesu so in Truth by his Disciple and Apostle Thad without Apothecary Stuff and vertue of Herbs he was cured with many more So afterwards Agb being desirous to know many things concerning Christ he Commanded his Citizens to be gathered together to hear the Sermon of Thaddaeus which being ended the King charged that Gold coined and uncoined should be given him
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-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
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
ready to shrink so strugled that they were ready to burst within themselves they nodded with their Countenance and beckned with their Hands exhorting them to Constancy with many signs and gestures of the Body the which when the Multitude in compass had perceived before that any laid hands on them preventing their doings they stept forth before the Bar and proclaimed themselves to be Christians so that the President and his Assistants were amazed and the Christians upon whom the Sentence had past were thereby emboldened to suffer and the Judges marvellously afraid These therefore departed from the Tribunal i. e. Judgment seat cheerfully and rejoyced in the testimony of their Faith God gloriously triumphing in them Ischyrion martyred by his Master Many others saith Dionysius throughout the Cities and Villages were quartered and dismembred by the Ethnicks i. e. Heathens whereof for example sake I will rehearse one Isohrion being a Noble-man's hired Servant and by Office his Stoward was commanded by his Master to do Sacrifice and when he obeyed not he was contumeliously i. e. reproachfully reviled The Heathen Master seeing his Christian Servant so constant pâ—…rsisting in his former Opinions taketh a great Cudgel in his hand and beat his Body and Bowels till Breath departed What shall I say of the multitude of them which wander in the desart and waste mountains consumed with Famine and Hunger and Cold and Diseases spoiled by Thieves and devoured by Beasts whose Blessedness and Victories they that remain alive are able to testifie These things Brother I write not in vain but that thou mayest understand what and how great Evils and Mischiefs have happened among us whereof they know more which among all others have felt most Of Novatus his Heresie and Impiety There was a certain Priest of Rome that was puffed up with Pride became himself the Author and Ringleader of his own Heretical Sect to wit of such as through their swelling Pride did call themselves Kathrous i. e. Puritans whereof there was a Synod i. e. a General or Universal Assembly gathered together at Rome of threescore Bishops besides many Ministers and Deacons And it was decreed that Novatus together with such as swelled and consented unto his unnatural Opinion repugnant i. e. disagreeing or contrary to brotherly Love should be excommunicated and banished the Church c. It is said that this Novatus longed of old after a Bishoprick and to the end he might conceal his own peevish Desire he used the Cloak of Arrogancy i. e. Pride or Loftiness who chose two men of a desperate Condition to be partakers of his Heresie These being simple men not knowing their crafty and malicious Fetches they were unclosed by such lewd Persons as were suborned i. e. were brought in for false Witnesses for the purpose and aâ—…ut ten a Clock when they were somewhat tipsie i. e. wanton or somewhat drunk with Wine and well crammed with Victuals were constrained to create him Bishop with imaginative or devised and frivolous i. e. vain laying on of Hands the which craftily and subtilly not compatible for his Person he challenged unto himself It is said of him that he being loth to die and desirous of Life in the time of Persecution denied himself to be a Priest And when he was intreated by the Deacons and admonished to come forth of the house wherein he had enclosed himself and to minister unto the necessity of the Brethren which wanted he was so far from yielding to the Deacons that he went away and departed in a Chafe saying That he would playno longer the Priest but addict himself unto another Trade of Phylosophy It is said of him that when he distributed the Oblation to People that he caused them to swear unto him By the Body and Blood of our Lord Iesus Christ that they would never forsake him An Epistle of Dionysius Bishop of Alexandria unto Novatus Dionysius unto the Brother Novatus sendeth greeting If thou wast constrained against thy will as thou saist thou wilt declare the same if thou return willingly Thou shouldst have suffered rather any thing than to have rent asunder the Church of God neither is this Martyrdom which is suffered for not severing and dividing the Church of less Glory than that which is tolerated i. e. suffered for denial of Sacrifice unto Devils yea in Iudgment it is of far greater Glory For in the one Martyrdom is suffered for one Soul in the other for the Universal Church i. e. the Church in general or the whole Church For if thou either perswade the Brethren or constrain them to return to Unity this notable Act will be far greater than the Fault that went before and the one will be imputed i. e. laid to his charge the other will be commended If thou canst not perswade the rebellious and disobedient save at leastwise thy own Soul I desire thy Health in the Lord and thy embracing Peace and Unity The Seventh BOOK OF EUSEBIUS Concerning Origen ORigen is said to have suffered much affliction for Christ's sake being famous eloquent trained in the Church even from his Youth up but through Envy he was brought before the Rulers and Magistrates and through the despiteful subtilty and crafty Invention of Satan he was brought into great slander and blemish of Infamy They say that the Authors of Iniquity devised that a Man should work the feat that is they prepared an Ethiopian or foul Black-moor beastly to abuse his Body but he not being willing to away with neither willing to hear of so horrible an Act brake out into loud Speeches and exclaimed at both the things which were given him in choice Rather than the one he would do the other The Choice was That either a Black-moor should play the Sodomite with him or he himself should sacrifice unto Idols And in the end he consented to Sacrifice whereof when they had put Frankincense crifice in his hand they threw it into the Fire upon the Altar By this means he was by the Judge put from Martyrdom and also banished the Church After that he was intreated by the Priests of Jerusalem to bestow a Sermon upon the People in the Church after great intreaty and in a manner constrained by the Priests he rose up took the Bible opened it and happened upon this Parcel of Scripture Unto the ungodly said God Why dost thou preach my Laws and takest my Covenant in thy mouth When he had thus read he clasped the Book sate down and burst out into Tears together with all the Audience i. e. the Assembly of People which wept with him He lived till he was Threescore and nine Years old And after his Fall he wrote his Lamentation out of which I have drawn this following Extract O ye Saints and Blessed of God with waterish Eyes and wet Cheeks soaked in Dâ—…lour i. e. Sorrow and Pain I beseech you to fall down before the Mercy-seat of God for me miserable Sinner Wo is