you

made to him];-for it much more concerns them to punish such as refuse to worship them than you, if they be able to do it. But harass and vex the Christians and accuse them of atheism and other crimes which you can by no means prove. To them it appears an advantage to die for their religion, and they gain their point, while they throw away their lives rather than comply with your injunctions. As to the earthquakes which have happened in times past, or more recently, is it not proper to remind you of your own despondency when they happen, and to request you to compare yonr temper and behaviour with theirs? Observe how serenely they confide in their God, while in such seasons you seem to be ignorant of the gods and to neglect their worship."

I cannot help interrupting the good emperor for a moment, in this place, merely while I direct your attention to the fact now mentioned, namely, the very different conduct that was manifested by the Christians and the heathens of that period, when overtaken by any signal calamity in the course of nature, such as an earthquake, famine, or the breaking out of a pestilence. On occasions of this kind, which at that period and in the warm eastern climate were of rather frequent occurrence, the difference was too remarkable to escape the observation of the most careless, and you see it was accordingly taken notice of by the emperor. On these trying occasions, Christianity had an opportunity of showing its superior influence, by the exemplary conduct of its professors. Their resignation to God, their calm, collected, and tranquil deportment-possessing their souls in patienceand their unwearied benevolence towards the distressed, frequently at the hazard of their own lives, formed a striking contrast to the behaviour of the heathen, who were all consternation and confusion, and in the midst of their terror and dismay would abandon their dearest friends the moment that calamities overtook them, and, seeking their own safety, leave the wretched to perish without relief.

But to return to the emperor's proclamation-thus he proceeds:

"You live in practical ignorance of the Supreme God himself, and you harass and persecute to death those who worship him. Concerning these same men, some others of the provincial go

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vernors wrote to our divine father Adrian, to whom he returned for answer, 'That they should not be molested unless they appeared to attempt something against the Roman government. Many also have made application to me concerning these men, to whom I have returned an answer agreeable to the maxims of my father. But, if any persons will persist in accusing the Christians merely as such, let the accused be acquitted, though he appear to be a Christian, and let the accuser be punished."

Set up at Ephesus in the Common Council of Asia.

Eusebius tells us that letters to the same purport were also written to the Larisseans, the Thessalonians, the Athenians, and all the Greeks; and that the humane emperor took care that his edicts were carried into effect. He reigned three-and-twenty years, and it seems not unreasonable to conclude that during the greater part of that time the disciples of Christ were allowed to worship God unmolested; but the elder Antoninus died in the year 162, when the government devolved wholly on his colleague, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.

This prince embraced the rigid system of the stoical philosophy, when only a youth, and having obtained the purple he set himself assiduously to inculcate that system upon his subjects. He even condescended to read lectures to the Roman people, says Mr. Gibbon, in a manner more public than was consistent with the modesty of a sage or the dignity of an emperor. We cannot therefore wonder that his partiality for his favourite pursuit should lead him to behold with an envious eye the lenity which had been shown towards the Christians by his predecessor. Certain it is that the new emperor had no sooner arrived at the plenitude of power than he completely discarded the tolerant principles of Antoninus Pius, and the flood-gates of persecution were once more thrown wide open.

At this period the churches of Asia appear to have suffered considerably. A few instances of this may be given as a specimen. Polycarp was at this time pastor of the church at Smyrna, an office which he is said to have filled for the greater part of a century with honour to himself, to the glory of his divine master, and to the edification of his brethren. The eminence of his station marked him out as the victim of popular fury. The cry of

the multitude against Polycarp was, "This is the doctor of Asia, the father of the Christians, the subverter of our gods, who teaches many that they must not perform the sacred rites nor worship our deities. Away with these Atheists !" The philosophy of the emperor could not teach him that this supposed atheism was a real virtue, which deserved to be encouraged and propagated among mankind; here reason and philosophy failed him; and his blind attachment to the religion of his country caused him to shed much blood and to become the destroyer of the saints of the living God.

Anxious for the fate of their beloved pastor, who was at this time more than 100 years old, the friends of Polycarp prevailed on him to withdraw from public view and retire to a neighbouring village, where he continued amidst his brethren, in fervent prayer to God for the tranquillity of the churches. In the mean time the most diligent search was made for him without effect. But, when his adversaries proceeded to put some of his brethren to the torture in order to compel them to betray him, he could no longer be prevailed on to remain concealed. "The will of the Lord be done," said he, and instantly surrendered himself to his persecutors.

The particulars of the martyrdom of Polycarp were communicated in a letter from the church in Smyrna to the churches of Pontus, which letter is preserved by Eusebius, and it contains a variety of circumstances relating to his last moments. On surrendering himself to his pursuers, he is said to have saluted them with a cheerful countenance and invited them to take some refreshment at his table, only soliciting from them on his own behalf one hour for prayer. They granted his request, and his devotions were prolonged to double that period, with such sweetness and savour that all who heard him were struck with admiration, several of the soldiers expressing their regret that they were employed against so venerable an old man. Having finished his devotions, Polycarp was placed upon an ass, to be conveyed towards the city, when he was met on the road by some of the principal persons concerned in his persecution. Many efforts were tried to shake his confidence and induce him to abjure his profession; but all in vain. At one time he was threatened by the proconsul with the fury of wild beasts. "Call for them,"

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said Polycarp; "it does not become us to turn from good to evil." But, "seeing you make so light of wild beasts," said the magistrate, "I will tame you with the more terrible punishment of fire." To which Polycarp boldly replied, "You threaten me with a fire that is quickly extinguished, but are yourself ignorant of the eternal fire of God's judgment, reserved for the wicked in the world to come. But why do you delay ? order what punishment you please.". Finding him impenetrable either by the arts of seduction or the dread of punishment, the proconsul ordered the fire to be lighted, and the body of Polycarp was consumed to ashes, A. D. 166.

Melito was at this period pastor of the neighbouring church of Sardis. As the rage of persecution grew more violent, he drew up and presented to the emperor, in the year 170, an Apology for the Christians, a fragment of which is still preserved in Eusebius. He complains of it, as an almost unheard-of cruelty, that pious men were now persecuted and greatly distressed by new decrees throughout Asia-that most impudent informers, who were greedy of other people's substance, took occasion from the imperial edicts to plunder the innocent. He therefore humbly entreats the emperor that he would not suffer the Christians to be treated in so unrighteous and cruel a manner-that he would condescend to examine into the charges laid to the account of the Christians, and put a stop to the persecution, by revoking the edict which he had issued agaist them; reminding him at the same time that Christianity was so far from being inimical to his government, as its enemies insisted, that it had contributed greatly to the strength and establishment of the empire.

I lately mentioned the name of another celebrated Apologist for Christianity, and I must now give you a short account of him. JUSTIN, surnamed the MARTYR, was born at Neapolis, the ancient Sychar or Shechem, of Palestine, in the country of Samaria, John iv. 5. His father Priscus, being a Græcian, or heathen Greek, trained him up in his own religious profession, and had him educated in all the Grecian learning and philosophy. In order to perfect his studies, Justin went down into Egypt, a country which was then noted as the seat of the more mysterious and recondite literature of his day. Speaking on

this subject, in one of his pieces, he tells us that "he was shown the remains of those cells where the seventy translators of the Old Testament executed what is called the Septuagint version," that is, translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, in the times of Ptolemy Philadelphus, A. M. 3717.

From the moment that his attention was first turned to the study of philosophy, Justin took a dislike to the Stoic and Peripatetic, giving a decided preference to the system of Plato, with which he was greatly taken, and of which he resolved to make himself master. While engaged in prosecuting this design, as he was one day taking a solitary walk by the sea-side, and absorbed in contemplation, he was met by a grave and elderly man of a venerable aspect, who, falling into discourse with him upon indifferent subjects, at length turned the conversation, by little and little, from the fancied excellencies of Platonism to the doctrine of the Gospel; and as Justin, who himself relates the anecdote in his "Dialogue with Trypho," says, raised such an ardent curiosity in him, as determined him to enquire into the pretensions of Christianity-the result of this, through the blessing of God, was his becoming a convert to the faith of Christ, A. D. 132.

About the commencement of the reign of Antoninus Pius, Justin went to Rome, where he preached the gospel with great boldness and success to the day of his death. But he did not confine himself to preaching, merely; for, finding the heretic Marcion active in propagating his pernicious principles, Justin encountered him both in speech and writing, for he composed a treatise against his sentiments which he allowed to be published. Nor did he rest here; for when his Christian brethren came to be treated with severity, traduced, defamed, and persecuted, Justin took a most decided part with them, and drew up, about the year 160, his first Apology, which I have already mentioned.

Soon after this, Justin took a journey into Asia, and among other cities visited Ephesus. While there he fell into the company of Trypho, a Jew of great note, with whom he held for two whole days a public disputation, of which he afterwards published an account in a tract, still in existence, entitled a "Dialogue with Trypho." After this he returned to