his arms against Sapores king of Perfia, who, before they came to battle, took him prifoner. From this time Valerian was in great mifery. Sapores treated him with the utmost indignity, making ufe of him as a footstool in mounting his horfe. At length, after feven years confinement, he deprived him of fight, and put him to death.---Galienus, Valerian's fon, who had concurred in the edicts against the Chriftians, by the peftilences, inundations, famines, and other calamities, which afflicted the empire in his father's reign, was fo wrought upon, that, hoping to appease the the Divinity, he relaxed the perfecution against the Chriftians, and published edicts in their favour. The tenth was begun by the emperor Dioclefian, A. D. 303. He, during the courfe of a profperous reign, had favoured the Chriftians for the fpace of twenty years. But coming to the city of Nicomedia in Bithynia, Cæfar Galerius, who hated the Chriftians, prevailed on him, A. D. 303, to give orders for demolishing the cathedral church there, built oppofite to the imperial palace. A Chriftian publicly tore the edict, and was punished. A few days after, part of Galerius's palace was deftroyed by fire, and the Chriftians were fuppofed to be the incendiaries. On this, Dioclefian published an edict, commanding the Chriftian Churches to be pulled down, their bibles to be burned, those who had obtained any office in the magiftracy to be degraded, and the meaner fort to be fold for flaves. But thefe were only the beginnings of the perfecution; for, foon after Dioclefian, with the confent of his colleague Maximian, published an edict, ordering the Chriftian bishops to be bound with chains, and forced by all manner of torture to facrifice to idols. This was fo rigorously executed, that in no more than the space of one month, it is faid, seventeen thousand Chriftians were put to death, exclufive of the multitudes that were banished, In A. D. 304, Dioclefian and Maximian refigned the purple; the former in Nicomedia, where he named Galerius his fucceffor; the latter at Milan, after having fubftituted Conftantius Chlorus in his place. The new emperors rus. divided the provinces between them: the former took Spain, Gaul, Britain, and Germany; the latter had all the reft. Galerius, finding the government of fo many provinces too heavy for him, named as Cæfars, Maximinus, his own nephew, by his fifter, and SeveTo the latter he gave the government of Rome, Italy, and Africa; to the former, that of the eastern provinces, referving to himself the management only of thofe which belonged to Illyricum and Greece. Conftantius in the Weft by his edicts relaxed the perfecution against the Chriftians; but Galerius and the Cæfars continued it in the East.--A while after this, Severus happening to be abfent from Italy, Maxentius, fon of Maximian the former emperor, was himself proclaimed emperor at Rome by the fenate and people. He relaxed the perfecution in the eighth year thereof. Severus marched against him; but, when under the walls of Rome, being deferted by his foldiers, was taken and killed. Galerius next marched into Italy; but, his troops beginning in like manner to defert, was obliged to return. About two years after this, falling fick, he published an edict in his own name, and in that of Conftantine, Conftantius's fon, whom he had kept as an hoftage for the good behaviour of his father. In this edict he ordered, That the Chriftians from thenceforth fhould be fpared, and their churches and meetings allowed them: intreating, at the fame time, That they would offer up public prayers for the emperor. On the death of Severus, Galerius had declared Licinius, Auguftus, and on his own death, as he had pointed him out as his fucceffor, he was generally acknowledged emperor. Soon after this, Conftantine, who had escaped from the East, and whose father was now dead, being invited by the senate and the people into Italy, marched against Maxentius, whom they had formerly made emperor, and defeated him. After the victory, CONSTANTINE DECLARED HIMSELF A CHRISTIAN. This circumftance induced Licinius to allow the Chriftians in his part of the empire confiderable privileges. But Maximinius Cæfar, who governed in the East as his lieutenant, thinking his ftation inferior to his merit, proclaimed himself emperor, and revoked them. Licinius, in a great pitched battle, defeated him; on which, he allowed the Chriftians their former privileges, refolving to try his fortune anew: but was cut off by death before he could execute his defigns. Maximinus being now out of the way, Licinius began to alter his behaviour towards the Chriftians. Openly efpoufing the caufe of Heathenifm, he prohibited the bishops from vifiting in the houses of the Gentiles, left in their converfation they might propagate their principles; and foon after raifed a violent perfecution against the whole Church in thofe parts. So that, as Eufebius obferves, the East and Weft were like day and night, a dreadful darkness overfpreading the former, while the latter enjoyed all the happy funshine of profperity. But Licinius's cruelty against the Chriftians, as well as his treacherous practices with relation to Conftantine, brought that prince with a great army out of the Weft against him; and he was defeated, taken, and after fome time put to death. Thus Conftantine, being now in poffeffion of the whole empire, put a final period to this perfecution, which had continued no lefs than twenty years; and, as it was the laft, being the utmost effort of a dying enemy, fo it was the most fevere of them all*. The good effects of perfecution are defcribed by Tertullian, in his apology. Give us now what names you please, fays he, from the inftruments of cruelty by which you torture us; yet let me tell you, when we are thus begirt, and dreffed about with fire, we are then in our moft illuftrious apparel. Thefe are our victorious palms and robes of glory, and mounted upon the funeral pile we look upon ourselves as in our triumphal chariot. O worshipful judges, go on with your show of juftice, and believe me, you will be the more juft ftill in the opinion of the people, the oftener you make them a facrifice of Chriftians. Crucify, torture, condemn, grind us to powder if you This account of the ten perfecutions is taken chiefly from Macknight's Truth of the Gofpel Hiftory. can; your injuftice is an illuftrious proof of our innocence, and for the confirmation of this it is, that God permits us to fuffer. But do your worft, and rack your invention to torture the Chriftians, it is all to no purpofe; you do but attract the world, and make it the more in love with our religion; the more you mow us down, the thicker we rife; the Chriftian blood you fpill is like the feed you fow, it fprings from the earth again, and fructifies the more. That in us which you denominate stubbornness, has been very fuccessful in profelyting the world; for who has not been ftruck with this fight, and from thence induced to look into the reality and reafon thereof? And whoever well examined our religion, but came over to it? And whoever came over, but was ready to fuffer for it*? Several learned men in the firft ages of the Gospel appeared in its defence, and their apologies, which were addreffed to the emperors, were appeals to the reafon as well as humanity of thofe for whom they were intended. It is indeed probable, fays Gregory, in his Hiftory of the Chriftian Church, that fome of them were never honoured by the perufal of the em perors. But as they contained facts, of which all might eafily be convinced; as the motives, the fufferings, and the conduct of the perfecuted Chriftians were by thefe means more extenfively known, it is highly probable that they alfo, among the causes already mentioned, largely contributed to diffufe the truths of the Gospel. Reeves's Apologies, vol. 1. cap. 50. A Sketch of the Primitive Chriftian Church. THE What was the Fabric, which was hardly rear'd, And fill'd with praife, which fragrant shall afcend, HE word inλnoia, as used by the writers of the New Teftament, is applied to the Disciples of Christ in a fpiritual fenfe. It uniformly fignifies one affembly or congregation; or fuch a number of profeffed Chriftians as ftatedly met together, for the worfhip of God, and a participation of the ordinances of the Gofpel. Thus we read of the Church at Corinth, Antioch, Ephefus, Philippi, Coloffe, Theffalonica, and other places. When the members of a family were all Chriftians, or others joined them in religious worship, they were called the Church in fuch a one's house. It does not appear that the Apostles ever used the word, to fignify a houfe or building, where the Chrif tians affembled for devotion: neither is it probable that, in the Apoftles' days, particular places were fet apart, or confecrated for the service of religion, fo as to be entirely free from all the common ufes of life; for it was not poffible that they could meet together but by agreement, in fuch places, and at fuch times, as might be moft convenient for all, and expofe them to the leaft danger. Mofes inftituted the Jewish Church; Chrift the Chriftian with the prophefying of the former was foon joined the deliverance of Ifrael from Egypt; and with the miniftry of the latter, that of great multitudes from fin and mifery. The primitive Chriftians had the right knowledge of the one only, living, and |