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of his age,

the emperor Severus, A. D. 206, informs us, that while Plotinus lived in Rome, whither he came in the fortieth A. D. 246, there were many Chriftians in the city. Plotin. c. 16.

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II. Cornelius was bishop of Rome in the time of the Decian per fecution, A. D. 251. He, writing to Cyprian bishop of Carthage, gives the following account of the church at Rome. "We have in this place forty-four prefbyters, feven deacons, and as many fubdeacons; and widows, and other perfons maintained by the "church, fifteen hundred." Eufeb. Eccl. Hift. Lib. vi. Č. 43. C. Now fuppofing every twentieth perfon to have received maintenance, there will have been no less than thirty thoufand Chriftians in Rome at this time. A vaft number, confidering that, the emperors having their ufual refidence in this city, their edicts for perfecution muft have been executed with the utmoft rigour, under their eye, and by their direction.

12. Lampridius, a Heathen writer, who flourished in the reign of Dioclefian, A. D. 290, tells us, that the emperor Alexander Severus, who obtained the purple A. D. 222, had the image of Chrift in his private chapel, and would have built him a temple, and admitted him among the gods, as he fays Adrian, who became emperor A. D. 117, intended to have done, had not the priests affured him, from their divination, that it would make all the world Chriftians, and cause the other temples to be deferted. His words are: "If he had "leisure in the morning, he worshipped in his private chapel, "wherein he had the deified emperors, making choice however of "the best. There alfo he had the more holy fouls, among whom "was Apollonius, and, as a writer of that age fays, Chrift, Abra"ham, and Orpheus, and fuch like Gods; alfo the image of his

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ancestors.- He intended to build Chrift a temple, and to re"ceive him among the gods; which Adrian likewise is said to have "defigned, who in every city caufed temples to be raised without "images, which, because they had no gods, are at this day called "Adriani. These temples he is faid to have prepared for the end now mentioned; but he was hindered by thofe who, having confulted the aufpices, found that if what he propofed were accom"plifhed, all men would become Chriftians, and the other temples "would be deferted." Lamprid. apud Hift. Auguft. Script. p. 439. D. p. 351. E. Adrian began to conceive a favourable opinion of Christianity, about the beginning of the fecond century, that is, in the very infancy of the Gofpel. It feems, mankind thus early fhewed fo ftrong a difpofition to embrace our faith, that the emperor judged it good policy to adopt it into the fyftem of religions profeffed throughout the empire. But the Heathen priefts foreseeing, that if this honour was conferred upon Chriftianity, the whole world would embrace it, and the temples be deferted, diverted the emperor from his purpose, by feigning that the gods had given them premonition of the direful confequences.

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13. Arnobius, formerly a Heathen teacher of rhetoric at Sicca in Africa, flourished A. D. 306. In his first book against the Gentiles, he fpeaks thus: "Is not this an argument for our faith, that in fo "little a space of time, the facraments of Chrift's great name are dif"fufed over the world? that orators, grammarians, rhetoricians, lawyers, phyficians, and philofophers, men of great genius, love "our religion, defpifing thofe things wherein before they trufted? "Slaves will rather suffer torments for their mafters, wives fooner part with their husbands, and children rather be difinherited by "their parents, than abandon the Chriftian faith."

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14. The emperor Julian, who obtained the purple A. D. 361, acknowledges, apud Cyrill. Lib. x. p. 327, that, in the days of John the Apoftle, great numbers in many cities of Greece and Italy embraced the religion of Jefus, which, on account of its fpreading nature, he calls a diftemper wherewithal people were feized. By the confeffion therefore of Julian himself, Chriftianity even in his time was no recent forgery, but had exiftence as early as the Chriftian records inform us.The fame Julian, in his letter to Arfakios, chief of the Pagan priefts in Galatia, which is the 49th epiftle, Oper. p. 429, gives an honourable teftimony to the practice of the ancient Chriftians. His words are, "Do we not fee what has "chiefly increased this impiety," fo he falfely calls the Christian religion" their benevolence to ftrangers, their care to bury the "dead, and their feigned fanctity of life? every one of which ought "to be truly and carefully practifed by us. Not that this fanctity "is fufficient; but in general oblige all the priests in Galatia, by "threats or perfuafions, to be diligent, or difmifs them from the prieftly function, if with their wives, children, and fervants, they "do not attend upon the gods, and do not hinder their fervants and "children, or their wives, who are Galileans, to behave impiously "towards their gods, and to prefer piety to impiety." Then he gives particular precepts concerning the behaviour of his priests, whom he would have formed upon the model of the Chriftian priefts, as it would feem. For he fays, "Exhort each priest not 66 to go to the theatre, not to drink in taverns, and to follow no base or infamous trades; and those who obey you, honour; and those "who difobey, banish." Next, he orders houfes to be fet up for the entertainment of ftrangers, whether they were of the emperors religion or not, and fettles a revenue upon them; adding, "it is a fhame, feeing there is no beggar among the Jews, and "these impious Galileans maintain not only their own poor, but "ours, that the latter fhould be deftitute of the help we ought to "afford them."

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Thus, by a clear fucceffion of undoubted teftimonies, it appears that the Chriftian religion took its rife in Judea, as the Gofpels affirm; that it began in the reign of the emperor Tiberius, the time fixed for it in the Chriftian records; and that from Judea it immediately spread itself into the neighbouring countries, and by degrees into all the provinces of the Roman empire, great multitudes every

where

where forfaking the religion of their ancestors for the fake of this better faith, and more perfect form of worship. It is therefore certain, that the world was converted to Chriftianity precifely at the time, and by the inftruments, we fuppofe.

SECT. II.

Shewing that the Chriftian religion Spread itself into all countries under the fevereft perfecution.

IT is not fufficient to have fhewed, that Chriftianity began at the time mentioned in the Gofpels. We muft fhew likewife that in the first ages mankind embraced our faith under perfecution. This fact, being of great importance in the prefent argument, merits particular attention; for which reafon I have claffed the proofs of it by themselves. I muft however obferve, that these proofs establish Jikewife the point handled in the preceding fection, namely, the antiquity of our religion, and the numeroufnefs of its difciples in the firft ages. It feems the heathen magiftrates, priefts, and philofophers, from the beginning, were jealous of our fect, on account of its numbers. And not knowing any other way to prevent the world from being over-run with the new principles, they rigorously perfecuted thofe who efpoufed them, in whatever province or corner they appeared. But though I am to fhew that the profeffors of the Chrif tian religion were from the beginning perfecuted in all countries, it is not my purpose to speak of the fufferings of the Apostles, and first preachers of the Gofpel. Thefe have been fufficiently explained already, B. III. C. III. § 3. What I propofe is, to demonftrate from hiftory and other authentic evidence, that in the firft ages the profeffion as well as the preaching of the Gofpels unanimously expofed men to manifold and great fufferings. The importance of the fubject requires that this proof be not flightly paffed over; for the perfecutions which the firft Chriftians fuftained, as we shall fee by and by, demonftrate that nothing but the ftrongeft conviction could determine them to embrace Chriftianity. The Gofpelhistory was rendered indubitable by the teftimony and miracles of the Apoftles, and of the reft of the eye-witneffes. People therefore did not fcruple to part with every thing, and to undergo every thing, for the fake of a religion fo clearly proved to be

divine.

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The enemies of revelation, fenfible of the force of this argument, have, upon I know not what foundation, infinuated or affirmed, that the fufferings of the first Chriftians were not fo great as they are commonly thought to have been. To this purpose, Mr. Voltaire, in his Effay on univerfal hiftory, vol. i. chap. 5. pag. 60. where, fpeaking of the Jews, he fays, Having an implacable ha"tred to the profeffors of Chriftianity, they accufed them of being the incendiaries who destroyed fome part of Rome under the emperor Nero. It was as unjust to impute this accident to the "Chriftians as to Nero. Neither he, nor the Chriftians, nor the "Jews,

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66

"Jews, had any intereft in fetting Rome on fire. But there was a "neceffity for appeafing the populace, who had the fame deteftation "as the Jews for thofe ftrangers. A few poor wretches were facri"ficed to the public vengeance. This inftance of violence ought "not, I apprehend, to be reckoned among the perfecutions which "the Chriftians underwent on account of their faith: it had no"thing at all to do with their religion, which was not fo much as "known, and which the Romans confounded with Judaism, then "under the protection of the laws.This is very certain, that it "was not the disposition of the senate to perfecute any man for his "opinion; that no emperor ever attempted to force the Jews to change their religion, neither after the revolt in Vefpafian's reign, nor that which broke out under Adrian. It is true, their worfhip was reviled and derided, and ftatues were erected in their "temple before its demolition. But never did emperor, procon"ful, or Roman fenate, dream of hindering the Jews from believ "ing the Mofaic law. This fingle reafon fhews what liberty the "Chriftians had to extend their religion in private. The Chriftians "were not molefted by any of the emperors till the reign of Do"mitian. Dion Caffius fays, that under this emperor, there were "fome people condemned as Atheists, and for imitating the man"ner of the Jews. It feems, that this oppreffion, of which we "have but very imperfect accounts, was neither long nor general. "We cannot exactly tell why fome perfons were exiled, nor why "they were recalled.-Nerva, Vefpafian, Titus, Trajan, Adrian, " and the Antoninuses, were not perfecutors. Trajan, having pro"hibited all private affemblies, wrote notwithstanding to Pliny: "You must make no inquiry after the Chriftians.' These words "fufficiently prove, that they might conceal themselves, and exer"cife their religion with prudence, though through the malice of the "priefts and the hatred of the Jews they were frequently carried be"fore the magiftrates and punished. The people, and especially "the people of the provinces, hated the Chriftians. They incited "the magiftrates against them, and were for having them expofed "to wild beafts in the circus. The emperor Adrian not only gave "ftrict charge to Fondanus the proconiul of Afia Minor, not to perfecute them, but his orders exprefsly mention, That if the "Chriftians were flandered, the flanderer fhould be feverely punish"ed.' This regard to juftice in Adrian, made fome people falfely "imagine, that this emperor was a Chriftian. But would he, who " erected a temple to Antinous, erect one to Jefus Chrift? Marcus "Aurelius ordained, that the Chriftians fhould not be perfecuted on "the account of religion. Caracalla, Heliogabalus, Alexander, "Philip, Galien, openly protected them; therefore they had full "leifure to extend their doctrine, and to ftrengthen their infant "church." Nugent's tranflation.

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In oppofition to thefe falfe colourings and violent contradictions of truth, I place the following clear and authentic teftimonies, many of them furnished by the heathens themselves, whereby it will ap

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pear, that from the very beginning the Chriftians were perfecuted exprefsly on account of their religion; that in thefe perfecutions infinite multitudes fuffered death, that the evils which followed the profeffion of the Gospel were not confined to a particular province or feafon; but were met with in every country, and continued for the space of three hundred years.

The first and most ancient fufferings of the Chriftians are thofe which they underwent from the inferior magiftrates, from the priests, and from the populace in every country, immediately upon their embracing the Gefpel. It would be tedious, and indeed needless, to recount all the inftances mentioned in the Chriftian records. The general appeals made there concerning thofe evils, will give a just enough idea of them. For example, the Chriftians in Judea fuffered great afflictions immediately on receiving the Gofpel, Heb. x.

32.

..

"But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; 33. Partly whilft ye were made a gazing-ftock, both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly whilft ye became companions of them "that were fo ufed. 34. For ye had compaffion of me in my bonds,

and took joyfully the fpoiling of your goods, knowing in your"felves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring fubftance." So likewife the churches of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Afia, and Bithynia, 1 Pet. iv. 12. "Beloved, think it not ftrange concern"ing the fiery trial, which is to try you, as though fome ftrange

thing happened unto you. 13. But rejoice in as much as ye are "partakers of the fufferings of Chrift.-15. But let none of you "fuffer as a murderer, &c. 16. Yet if any man fuffer as a Chrif

tian, let him not be afhamed; but let him glorify God on this "behalf." And the churches of Macedonia, 2 Cor. viii. I. * Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God be"ftowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2. How that in a great "trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy, and their deep po

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verty, abounded unto the riches of their liberality." And the church at Theffalonica, 2 Theff. i. 4. So that we ourselves glory "in you in the churches of God, for your patience and faith in all "your perfecutions and tribulations that ye endure." 1 Theff. ii. 14. "For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God, "which in Judea are in Chrift Jefus: for ye alfo have fuffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews. 15. Who both killed the Lord Jefus, and their own prophets, "and have perfecuted us." And the church at Corinth, 2 Cor. i. 6. "And whether we be afflicted, it is for your confolation and fal "vation, which is effectual in the enduring of the fame fufferings "which we alfo fuffer:-7. And our hope of you is fted faft, know"ing that as you are partakers of the fufferings, fo fhall ye be allo "of the confolation." 2 Tim. iii. 12. "Yea, and all that will "live godly in Chrift Jefus, fhall fuffer perfecution." The Apoftle Paul acknowledges, that he himself had been a violent perfecutor of the apoftles and difciples of Chrift, 1 Tim. i. 12

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