luntary, unforced clandeftine affemblies, and hunt after a mormo hid in the combination of four fyllables? Not that he wanted a Precedent for proceeding on thefe vifionary grounds; but the very Precedent fhews that the Perfecutors wanted better. TERTULLIAN affures us, that the Chriftians had been actually perfecuted for the NAME only. "Non fcelus aliquod "in caufa, fed NOMEN; Chriftianus, fi nullius cri“minis reus, nomen valde infeftum, si folius nominis "crimen eft-fi nominis odium eft, quis nominum "reatus: quæ accufatio vocabulorum? nisi si aut "barbarum fonat aliqua vox nominis, aut infau. «ftum, aut maledicum, aut impudicum," &c. From whence, by the way, allow me to conclude, that when a harmless NAME becomes fo odious as to occasion the Sect, which bears it, to be perfecuted, the averfion must arise from fome essential principle of that Sect, and not from a cafual circumstance attending their religious practice.-But to return to Pliny; at laft he difcovers fomething worthy of animadverfion. It was their FROWARD AND INFLEXIBILE OBSTINACY: -neque dubi"tabam, qualecumque effet quod faterentur, per"vicaciam certe et inflexibilem obftinationem debere

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puniri." Now is it poffible, if the Chriftians were first perfecuted, and continued to be perfecuted, for holding their affemblies in the nighttime, that Pliny after fo much experience of it, fhould not know the crime, nor how to proceed against the offenders? What is ftill more unaccountable, TRAJAN, in answer to this application, is unable to deliver any general rule for the direction of his Minister." Neque enim in "univerfum aliquid, quod quafi certam formam

habeat, conftitui poteft." But the affembling in a clandeftine manner by night, if this was the Crime which gave offence, is an action that admits

of

of few modifications in a Court of Justice; and fo might be commodiously submitted to a general rule. On the other hand, if what the author of the D. L. fays, be true, that they were perfecutedfor oppofing the principle of INTERCOMMUNITY, we fee plainly why no general rule could be delivered. They expreffed this oppofition in various ways and manners; fome more, fome lefs, offenfive-by fimply refufing to worship with the Pagans, when called upon; by running to their tribunals uncalled; by making a profeffion of their faith, unafked; or by affronting the national religion, unprovoked. Now, fo just and clement a prince as Trajan might well think, these different modes of expreffing their abhorrence of intercommunity, deferved different degrees of animadverfion.

When Nero, in a mad frolic, set Rome on fire, and then threw that atrocious act upon the Chriftians, it is highly probable that the nocturnal affemblies of the Faithful (which, by this time, perfecution had introduced amongst them) first started the happy thought, and encouraged him to pursue it. Now, if this, which is very probable, and our Critic's hypothefis, which is very improbable, be both true, I cannot fee how it was poffible for TACITUS, when he acquits them of this calumny, and at the fame time expreffes the utmost virulence against them, to omit the mention of their nocturnal affemblies, had they been begun without neceffity, and obftinately continued after the civil magiftrate had forbidden them. Inftead of this, all he had to object to the Chriftians, was their odium bumani generis: of which, indeed, he says, they were convicted; convicti funt: an expreffion, without either propriety or truth, unless we fup

pose

pofe he understood their refusal of intercommunity to be a conviction: other proof there was none : for when examined on the rack concerning this hatred of mankind ", they constantly denied the charge; and appealed as well to their principles` · as their practice; both of which declared their univerfal love and benevolence to all the creatures of God. But to reprobate the Gods of Rome, the Orbis Romanus, (of which our Critic can tell us wonders) was proclaiming hatred and averfion to all the world. Hence it is that Quintilian, fpeaking of the topics of difpraife, fays that the Author of the Jewish Religion, (equally reprobating, with the Author of the Chriftian, the univerfal principle of intercommunity) was defervedly hated and held ignominious as the founder of a fuperftition which was the BANE of all other Religions.-Et parentes malorum odimus: Et eft conditoribus urbium infamiæ, contraxiffe aliquam PERNICIOSAM cæteris gentem, qualis eft primus Judaicæ fuperftitionis Auctor. But why pernicious and baleful to the reft, if not by accufing and condemning all other Institutions of error and imposture?

MARCUS AURELIUS and JULIAN were vigilant and active; well inftructed in the rights of Society; and not a little jealous of the interefts of the Magiftrate. Yet neither of these princes ever accufe the Christians of running to nocturnal affemblies. unprovoked, or of perfifting in the practice against imperial edicts. What a field was here for Aurelius, who defpifed them, to urge his charge of brutal obftinacy; and for Julian, who feared them, to cry aloud of danger to the state; their two favourite

i. e. Concerning their principles and their practice, from whence the Pagans inferred their hatred of mankind,

9

topics

topics against these enemies of their Religion and Philofophy?

But facred story may help us out where the civil fails: let us fee then how this matter ftands reprefented in Scripture: for I make our Critic's cause my own, as fuppofing we are both in the pursuit of Truth.

I have already given a brief account of the Affemblies of the infant-church, as they are occafionally mentioned in the history of the Alts of the Apaftles.

Our Critic's converfe propofition, which we are now upon, only requires us to fhew in what light the perfecutors of the Apoftles confidered this matter; and whether nocturnal affemblies, when any fuch were held, either gave advantage to their Jewish accufers, or umbrage to the pagan Magif rate, before whom the propagators of the Gospel were convened.

The perfecutions recorded in the history of the Acts were almost all of them raised, or at least, fomented, by the Jews. Their several accufations against those they called apoftate brethren, are minutely recorded: and yet the crime of affembling by night is never brought into account. In the mean time, their point was to make the unwilling Magiftrate the inftrument of their malice: for this reafon they omitted nothing which might tend to alarm the jealoufy of the State; as when they accused the Chriftians of fetting up another king, against Cæfar. Had their nocturnal affemblies therefore been held out of choice, they would not have neglected this advantage, fince nothing could more alarm

alarm the civil Magistrate than such assemblies. The truth, is, the Jews could not be ignorant of the advantage this would afford them. But conscience and humanity are not to be overcome at

To accuse those they hated, of what they themselves had occasioned, required a hardiness in vice which comes only by degrees; and after a long habit of abusing civil justice and the common rights of mankind.

once.

а

Our Critic, perhaps, may be ready to say, “That it is probable the Jews did accuse the Christian Church of this misdemeanor, though the historian, in his succinct history of the Aets, hath omitted to record it."

· But this subterfuge will never pass with those who consider how unwilling the Roman Magistrate always was to interfere in their contests, as clearly apprehending, the subject of them to be of certain matters concerning their law : so that under this disposition, nothing could be inore effectual to, quicken his jealousy and resentment, than the charge of clandestine assemblies; of which, doubtless, the Romans were very jealous, as contrary to their fundamental Laws, tho' not so extravagantly umbragious as our Critic's hypothesis obliges him to suppose.

But it will be said, “ Were clandestine meetings never objected to the primitive Christians ?” Yes,

Celsus objected such meetings to them, as things contrary to law". But Origen's reply will set matters right. He says, the Church was driven upon this obnoxious measure to avoid

very often.

* loai xali no es povas. Orig. cort. Cell.

the