$ different is the conduct of "Protestant-ascendency" from that of this Pagan emperor. Under the former the apostate from the Catholic faith is rewarded with title and office, while the firm adherent to that faith is stigmatized as a traitor and deprived of his hereditary rights! When will common sense resume its sway amongst our intolerants? In the second place, it does not appear that Constantine raised his army for the purpose of succouring the Christians, as Fox asserts, but to repel the assaults of Maxentius, who, as we before stated, had declared war against Constantine, under pretence of avenging the death of his father Maximinus, whom Constantine had caused to be strangled in 308, having made several attempts on the life of the latter. However, the fact is undeniable, that Constantine began to doubt the efficacy of Pagan sacrifices, and had recourse to the one only true God, whom the Christians adored with such fervour; and it is equally undeniable, that he was favoured with a supernatural appearance of THE CROSS, the banner under which the Christians had fought against the world and the devil, and had carried it victoriously through the ranks of Paganism. The deist effects to deny supernatural events; but how such a circumstance as the appearance of the cross to Constantine, and his subsequent victory, under that banner, over the tyrant Maxentius, with an inferior army, can be denied, consistently with common sense, we are at a loss to conceive. The phenomenon was not confined to the eye of Constantine; it was visible to the whole army, and a resemblance of it afterwards became the principal standard of the imperial Roman army. Now if this occurrence had been a mere pretension, invented for some sinister purpose, is it possible, we ask, that such an attempt could have met with general credit as it did from all persons living at that time. Lactantius, Eusebius, Artemius, the martyr under Julian the apostate, Cyzicemus, Philostorgius, an Arian historian, the Alexadrian, or Paschal chronicle (published by F. Raderus, and more accurately by Dr. Cange) compiled in 630; Sozomen, Socrates, Glycas, and Eutychius; some of whom wrote from various memoirs, and as vouchers of a fact to which many had been eye witnesses; all agree stating the actual occurrence of this wonderful spectacle. Lactantius, 'who was preceptor to Crispus Cæsar, Constantine's son, in his book On the Death of the Persecutors, ascribes the victory of the latter over Maxentius to the miraculous vision he had in his sleep before the battle. This work was written before Eusebius compiled the life of Constantine. The latter writer had the fact from Constantine himself. According to the Paschal Chronicle, &c. the inscription was formed in bright letters, as it were, of gold, in the perpendicular shaft, or body of the cross from the middle down to the bottom. We shall give a perfect figure of it in our next number. In addition to this body of epistolary evidence, a magnificent triumphal arch was erected in Rome in memory of the victory, in the inscription of which Constantine attributed his success to the miraculous apparition. Besides this public monument at Rome, Eusebius states that he likewise set up in the principal hall of his palace at Constantinople, a great figure of the cross which he had seen in the heavens, and by the power of which he had become victorious. The standard before alluded to was known by the name of the Labarum, and is pretty accurately de sribed as above by Fox. The emperor chose fifty men of the stoutest and most religious among his guards, carry this banner by turns; it was always borne before the emperor in battle. Constantine also caused banners of the same fashion, but less in size, to be made for every legion, and had the monogram of the name of Christ framed in the form of a Cross, on his helmet, and in the shields of his soldiers. Julian the apostate, on his coming to the purple, changed on his medals this sacred monogram into the old letters S. P. Q. R. But Jovian and the succeding emperors restored it. In a word, the evidence of these two miracles is so clear and authentic, that we cannot help thinking that every rational and unbiassed mind will exclaim with Baluze, "What history will men believe, if it be allowed to "call in question a fact confirmed by the most unexceptionable witnesses, and by ancient medals and other monuments." (Not. in Lactant.) We shall give a representation of the Labarum in the next number. This memorable appearance of the great work of mercy was followed by a complete victory over Maxentius, on the 27th of October, 312, which put Constantine in complete possession of the Western empire. Such signal proofs of divine Providence in his favour we might have supposed sufficient to induce Constantine to declare himself immediately a Christian: but this was not the case. Naturally humane in his disposition, he contented himself at first with proposing to Licinius, his colleague, whom he met at Rome, to stay all persecution on the score of religion, which the latter agreeing to, an edict was published allowing full liberty of conscience, and permitting every one to follow that form of worship he conscientiously deemed right. This act of justice gave offence to Maximin, the tyrant of the east, whose implacable hatred to the Christian name was equal to any of the imperial persecutors who preceded him. He declared war against Constantine and Licinius, was defeated by the latter in battle, and put an end to his life by poison, Thus, by the mysterious dispensation of an allruling Power, the tyrants of the earth were all cut off one after the other, and the whole empire was placed under a merciful prince, whose heart, however, was not yet sufficiently touched with divine grace to embrace the heavenly truths which Christ came on earth to reveal. It was not till he had experienced affliction in his family, and disease in his person, that Constantine began to reflect seriously on the sublime precepts of Christianity, and the necessity of embracing that system which had been watered by the blood of so many glorious and heroic martyrs. This state of uncertainty on the part of the emperor occasioned the augurs or soothsayers to harrass and alarm the Christians, who were interrupted by the misguided populace in their religious assemblies, and the pope was constrained to seek his safety by withdrawing himself from Rome to the mountain of Soracte. While these disorders were going on, Constantine was stricken with a leprosy; and, blinded by the errors of his early education, he consulted the augurs how he could be cured. They told him he must bathe in a bath of infant's blood. This proposation he rejected with horror, and meditated on some past transactions, particularly on the condemnation of death he had passed on his own son Crispus, and his CRITICAL AND HISTORICAL he forgal preve ut, to -blan model to mad at Printed and Published by W. E. ANDREWS, 3, Chapter 124 1 house-court, St. Paul's Churchyard, London! T Price 3d. CONTINUATION OF THE REVIEW. wife Fausta, the latter having accused the son of attempting her chastity, when she had solicited him to hold incestuous intercourse with her. In this state of perplexity Constantine was visited in his sleep by saints Peter and Paul, who admonished him to seek out the holy pope Silvester, in his place of concealment, and on so doing he would receive a cure through the waters of baptism. The emperor on awaking immediately who spent some days in instructing Cond stantine in the necessary points of Christian faith, after which he was tout the good pontiff The baptized with the usual ceremonies in a place adjoining the church of St. John Lateran, in the year 324. Immediately, on receiving the waters of baptism, the leprosy left him. This miraculous cure is related by Binius and Baronius, and we see no reason why it should be doubted any more than the wonderful conversion of St. Paul, and his restoration to sight from the hands of Ananias. We now enter a new era of the Christian church. Hitherto she had experienced the most violent opposition that Jews, Philosophers, Pagans and Heretics could raise against her, for the space of three hundred years; notwithstanding which her doctrines had been gaining ground in every quarter of the globe. She had now received into her bosom the monarch of the world; the imperial ruler of the vast Roman empire; a man who might be said to have attained the summit of earthly grandeur. Hitherto she had experienced persecution from the state; now she had the first civil magistrate in her favour; and what was her conduct in this state of prosperity? Did she, the Catholic church, induce the emperor to exert force to spread her doctrines or reclaim error? No; the first step of this first Christian emperor was to declare to the world that his change of sentiment arose from a pure conviction of mind, and that it was his resolution to allow every one of his subjects the same freedom of conscience. The speech Constantine made to the senate, on announcing his baptism, is so clear a definition of the mild and genuine principles of the Catholic religion, in what regards the liberty of conscience, that we here insert it, from Caussin's Holy Court, part 11, book ii, sec. 9. Having caused a throne to be prepared in the palace of Trajan, and commanded the attendance of the senate, he thus addressed them:Sirs, I doubt not but the change of religion which I have made, will appear strange to many, who blame all that which they cannot understand, and will understand nothing, but what flatters their presump❝tion. All novelty is odious to those who love the old age of error: yet "I can tell you, this is no new religion which I have embraced, but "that which was begun in the purified souls of the golden age, hap"pily finished in our days. The first men of the world had verity in "bloom, we now see the fruit, which we may and shall enjoy, if we "be not ungrateful to our happiness, and traiterous to our own con"science. Believe me, sirs, the world is almost grown out of its nonage, for God hath taken pity of the ignorance thereof, and made it see, it was not time any longer to place dragons and owls upon altars, nor other gods, accounted as monsters, if they would return into the "life of men. If our ancestors, blinded by mishap, have made to be "esteemed for divinities so many criminals, for whom our laws do "now ordain punishments, we are not bound to participate with the "crimes of the one, nor the errors of the other, under pretext of antiquity. I must confess, that I from my infancy have had great dis"trust upon the follies which I saw in the superstitions of gentiles, and that which further confirmed me in this opinion, was, that one day, I heard the answer of an oracle, which had long time stood mute, and being demanded the cause of this silence, answered, the "just hindered it from speaking, and we found those just were the "Christians, who then had power to stop the mouths of devils. 66 66 " Af 66 "terwards I began to consider those men, whom I saw so persecuted, "and that there was not a corner of the earth that was not ruddy with "their blood, yet were they notwithstanding so patient in their perse"cutions, that they had prayers on their lips for those, who rent their "hearts out of their bodies. This then gave me matter of much amazement; but when I came to think on their church, which "flourished among so many storms, and encreased under the swords of persecution, this seemed to me more than human; yet transported with the torrent of common opinions, I still resisted the voice of God which spoke in my heart, when it opened my eyes, and "made me once lively apprehend the dreadful ends of emperors, who "had persecuted christianity, comparing them to the felicity of my "father Constantius, of most glorious memory, who had preserved his "hands innocent even to death, free from any stain of Christian blood. "This was sufficiently potent to move a soul, which would easily yield to reason: but God redoubling his inspirations, made me one day "behold in the heavens a prodigy, which many saw with me, to wit, "the figure of the cross, composed of most resplendent light, which appeared just at that time I was to wage battle against Maxentius. "I call the living God to witness, that I therein read distinctly these 66 words, written as with the rays of the sun, EN TOTTA NIKA. And it is a wonder that I deferred still to yield myself up, till such time that "the Saviour of the world admonised me in a vision, to take into my standards the sign which I had seen in heaven the day before. I instantly obeyed, and have seen such prodigious effects succeed in the defeat of Maxentius, which you have admired, attributing to man that which was a work of the Divinity. I thought then to have disco"vered what I was, but considerations of state, which had too much "force upon my soul, stayed me, and haye made me walk along hitherto, in a life more licentious than I intended. I now protest before "the face of heaven and earth, that I am a Christian both in heart and profession; nor shall any motives ever alter that which I have so constantly resolved on. Yet for all this I purpose not to force any man in his religion, leaving for this time belief as free as elements: yet for the charity I bear towards my good subjects, I cannot but "wish them as much good as myself. Now all my greatest happiness, and which I esteem more than my purple and diadem, is to enter"tain the knowledge of a living God, which has been revealed to us by his only son Jesus Christ, the Doctor and Saviour of the world. "His person is full of miracles, his life of wisdom and goodness, his "doctrine of purity; and if to conquer our pride, and expiate our demerits, he hath humbled himself to the punishment of the cross, so much therefore the more it ought to be honourable, since he hath "done for us all that which an incomparable love can do, and endur"ed all that which an invincible patience may suffer. I can do no "other but love and singularly honour those who are enrolled under "his standard, as my brothers in religion; and let it not seem strange "to any, if heretofore shewing myself very liberal to beautify and en66 rich the temples of Gentilism, I now apply myself to build and adorn "the churches. I will render what I owe to God and my own conscience, nor shall my subjects who are of a religion different from 66 |