CENT. 1.] The Chriftians perfecuted by Pagans. 39 found. Befides these, multitudes were thrown to wild beafts, or facrificed as gladiators, in the favage fports of the Romans. The Chriftians at Jerufalem escaped the horrors of the fiege by a timely retreat to Pella, a fmall town beyond Jordan. The remainder of this devoted nation, weakened by their loffes, and dispirited by their dreadful calamities, were not, at the clofe of this century, in a fituation to oppofe openly a fect which they could⚫ not however but fecretly regard with even additional rancour.

*

Though the abfurdities of Polytheism were openly derided and expofed by the firft teachers of Christianity, yet it does not appear that any public laws were enacted against it till the reign of Nero, in the year 64, by which time it had acquired confiderable ftability and extent. As far the greater number of the first converts to Chriftianity were of the Jewish nation, one fecondary caufe for their being fo long preferved from perfecution may probably be deduced from their appearing to the Roman governors only as a fect of Jews, who had feceded from the reft of their brethren on account of fome opinion trifling in its importance, and perhaps difficult to be understood. Nor when their brethren were fully discovered to have caft off the religion of the Synagogue, did the Jews find it easy to infuse into the breafts of the Roman magiftrates that rancour and malice * Acts, chap. xix. ver. 26. D 4

which

40 The Chriftians perfecuted by Pagans. [CENT. 1, which they themselves experienced. But the fteady and uniform oppofition made by the Chrif tians to heathen fuperftition could not long pafs unnoticed. Their open attacks upon Paganifm made them extremely obnoxious to the populace, by whom they were reprefented as a fociety of • atheists, who, by attacking the religious conftitution of the empire, merited the fevereft animadverfion of the civil magiftrate. The The pure and fublime ideas which they conceived of the Supreme Being could not be comprehended by the grofs heathen, who required the Deity to be reprefented by fome corporeal figure, or visible fymbol, and adored with all the pomp of altars, facrifices, and libations. The perfonal guilt which had been contracted by every Chriftian, in thus preferring his private fentiments to the national religion, was aggravated in a high degree by the ⚫ number and union of the criminals; for the Romans were accustomed to regard with jealousy

and diftruft any affociations among their fubjects. They became, likewise, further obnoxious by their cautious method of performing the offices of religion; which, though at firft dictated by fear and neceffity, was continued from choice, and it was concluded that they only concealed what they would have blushed to difclofe. Horrid tales of their abominations were circulated throughout the empire; and the minds of the Pagans were, from all thefe circumstances, pre

pared

Under Nero.

41

CENT. I.] pared to regard with pleafure or indifferenco every cruelty which could be inflicted upon this defpifed fect.

Under thefe circumstances, it is not wonderful that Nero fhould felect the Chriftians as a grateful facrifice to the Roman people, and endeavour to transfer to this hated fect the guilt of which he was ftrongly fufpected, that of having caused and enjoyed the fire which had nearly defolated the city *. With this view, he inflicted upon them the most exquifite tortures, attended with every circumftancce of the moft refined cruelty. Some were crucified; others impaled; fome were thrown to wild beafts, and others wrapped in garments dipped in pitch and other combuftibles, and burned as torches in the gardens of Nero and other parts of the city by night. He was far, however, from obtaining the object of his hopes and expectations; and the virtues of the Christians, their zeal for the truth, and their conftancy in fuffering, must have confiderably contributed to the refpectability of their fect, and to make their tenets more generally known †. Alter

It was not at Rome alone, but in the remote parts also of the empire, that perfecution prevailed; as is evident from the following infcription in a hamlet of Portugal:- NERONI.

CLAUDIO. CAES. AUG. PONT, MAXIMO. OB. PROVINCIAM. LATRONIBUS. ET. HIS. QUI. NOVAM. GENERI, HUM. SUPERSTITION. INCULCAB. PURGATAM. H.

† Tacit. Annal. xv. 44. and Juvenal,

42

Under Domitian.

[CENT. I. nate feasons of tranquillity and perfecution fucceeded this barbarous attempt, and by uniting the Chriftians firmly in one common caufe, and giving them time to recruit their wearied powers, proved extremely favourable to the support and propagation of Chriftianity. From the death of Nero to the reign of Domitian the Chriftians remained unmolefted, and daily increafing; but towards the clofe of the century, they were again involved in all the horrors of perfecution. The death of Domitian, however, foon delivered them from this calamity; and his fucceffor Nerva fuffered the Chriftian church to enjoy a feafon of tranquillity, and refcinded the fanguinary edicts of his predeceffor.

CHAP.

CHAP. III.

DOCTRINE, GOVERNMENT, AND DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH.

Faith of the Primitive Chriftians-Ecclefiaftical Government necessary to the Support of a visible Church-Bishops, Prefbyters, Deacons, Deaconeffes-Forms of WorshipSacraments-Excommunication.

TH

HE whole of the Chriftian religion is comprehended in two great points, of which the first regards what we are to believe, and the other relates to our conduct and actions; or to exprefs the matter more briefly, the Gospel prefents to us objects of faith, and rules of practice. The former are expreffed by the Apostles by the term myftery, or the truth; and the latter by that of godliness or piety. The rule and standard of

both are those books which contain the revelation that God made of his will to persons chosen for that purpose, whether before or after the birth of Christ. And thefe divine books are ufually called the Old and New Teftament, but more properly Covenants.

The principal articles of faith regard the nature of the divine existence, and the perfon of Jefus

* 1 Tim. iii. 9. vi. 3. Tit. i. 1.

Christ.