therefore may have been an eye-witnefs of this perfecution. In the account which he gives of the burning of Rome, he fays, the people imputed that calamity to Nero, who they imagined fet fire to the city with an intention to have the glory of rebuilding it more magnificently, and of calling it after his own name; but that Nero laid the blame of the crime on the Chriftians; and that, to give a more plaufible colour to his calumny, he put great numbers of them to death in the most cruel manner. Withal to reconcile the people to him, he was at great pains to adorn the city, bestowed largeffes on those who had fuffered by the fire, and offered many expiatory facrifices, to appeafe the gods. Tacitus's words are *, Annal. xv. 66 But neither by man's affiftance, nor by the largeffes of the em"peror, nor by the expiatory facrifices offered to the gods, was the " evil report quafhed, but it was believed that the burning had been ordered. Wherefore, to deftroy this rumour altogether, Nero "furnished criminals, and punifhed with the most exquifite fufferings, thofe whom the vulgar call Chriftians, and who are hated "on account of their crimes. The author of that fect was Chrift, "who in the reign of Tiberius was punished with death by the pro"curator Pontius Pilate. But the peftilent fuperftition, which for "the prefent was fuppreffed, brake out afresh, not only in Judea "where the evil had first begun, but in the city alfo, whither from "every quarter all things atrocious and fhameful flow in, and are "performed. First then, thofe who confeffed were apprehended; next, by their information, A VAST MULTITUDE, who were con"victed not fo much of the crime of the burning, as of the hatred "of mankind. Thefe were made a fport of in their death, being "covered with the fkins of wild beafts, that they might be torn to "pieces of dogs, or nailed to croffes, or covered with inflammable "matter, and when the day-light failed, they were burnt to give light at night. For thefe fpectacles Nero gave his gardens, and at the fame time exhibited there the Circenfian games, mixing with the multitude in the habit of a charioteer, or driving about "in the courfe. Hence even towards the criminals and those who "merited the fevereft tortures, commiferation arofe, as towards per"fons perifhing not for the public good, but to gratify the cruelty "of one man."-The teftimony which Suetonius bears to this perfecution is in the following words, Nero, cap. 16. " Affecti r 66 fup "Sed non ope humana, non largitionibus principis, aut deûm placamentis decidebat infamia, quin juffum incendium. Ergo abolendo rumori, Nero fubdedit reos, et quæfitiffimis pœnis afiecit, quos per flagitia invifos, vulgus Chriftianos appellabant. Auctor nominis ejus Chriftus, qui Tiberio imperitante, per procuratorem Pontium Pilatum fuppli"cio affectus erat. Repreffaque in prefens exitiabilis fuperftitio rurfus erumpebat, non mo"do per Judæam, originem mali, fed per urbem etiam: quo cuncta undique atrocia aut pudenda confluunt, celebranturque. Igitur primo correpti qui fatebantur, deinde indicio eorum multitudo ingens, haud perinde in crimine incendii, quam odio humani generis "convicti funt. Et pereuntibus addita ludibria, ut ferarum tergis contecti, laniatu canum interirent, aut crucibus affixi, aut flammandi, atque ubi defeciflet dies in ufum nocturni "luminis urerentur. Hortos fuos ei fpectaculo Nero obtulerat, et Circenfe ludicrum ede"bat, habitu aurigæ permixtus plebi, vel circulo infiftens. Unde quanquam adverfus "fontes et noviflima exempla meritos miferatio oriebatur, tanquam non utilitate publica, fed in fævitiam unius abfumerentur." fuppliciis Chriftiani, genus hominum fuperftitionis novæ ac ma"leficæ;" i. e. "The Chriftians too were punished with death, a "fort of people addicted to a new and mischievous fuperftition." From the above teftimonies it appears, 1. That in Nero's reign the Chriftian religion had made great progrefs, that its profeffors were very numerous in the city itself, and that many of them fuffered in this firft perfecution. For Tacitus affures us, that there was a great multitude of them (INGENS MULTITUDO) put to death, contrary exprefsly to Mr. Voltaire, who from his own imagination afferts, that " a few poor wretches only were facrificed to the public "vengeance." And though, at firft, the difciples of Jefus were confounded with thofe of Mofes, for reafons afterwards to be mentioned (p. 214), yet the learned Heathens foon came to diftinguish them. Accordingly, in the paffages quoted above, the two hiftorians not only give the Chriftians their proper name, but they mention their religion as a thing altogether new. They underflood it therefore to be different from Judaifm, which they knew was an ancient religion, being well acquainted with it by reafon of their commerce with the Jews. In particular, Tacitus had fo diftinct a knowledge of Chriftianity, that he was able to tell the name of its author, the time and place where he lived, and the manner in which he died. -2. Both Tacitus and Suetonius call the Chriftian religion a mischievous fuperftition; and the former tells us exprefsly, that the profeffors thereof were univerfally hated for their crimes. Now confidering the excellency of our religion, and the fanctity of the first Chriftians, thefe characters may feem fomewhat ftrange. Yet when we remember that the Gofpel required all men every where to turn from the worship of idols to ferve the living God, and that the firft Chriftians were profeffed enemies of the reigning fuperftitions, our wonder will ceafe, and we fhall be fenfible that in the judgment of all who thought fuperficially, whether in high or low life, they could not fail being confidered as Atheists, and being loaded with infamy on that account. Mankind ftanding thus affected towards them every where, how could Mr. Voltaire, in flat contradiction to common fenfe, from the indulgence which was granted to the Jews, infer that "the Chriftians had liberty to extend their religion in private ?"-3. It is worthy of notice, that Tacitus reprefents Chrift as put to death on account of 'the new religion which he gave out; for he fays exprefsly, that the Chriftian" fuperftitions, being for the prefent fuppreffed" by the punishment of its author, "broke out afresh, not only in Judea "where the evil began, but in the city alfo." The fame thing Lucian teftifies, ftill more directly, in the paffage "De morte peregrini" already quoted, B. II. C. IV. § 2. art. II. pag. 326. Thefe are notable teftimonies of our Lord's innocence. He fuffered the punishment of a malefactor; but it was for no crime. To use the words of Lucian, "He was crucified in Palaeftine, for having "introduced the Chriftian fect." The hiftory of Jefus must have been well known, when the Heathens them felves were able to give an account of his death fo conformable to truth. -4. What Tacitus has teftified concerning the cause of the fufferings of the Chrif tians under Nero, deferves particular notice likewife. He tells us they were convicted, not fo much of the crime of the burning, as "of the hatred of mankind." Their hatred therefore of mankind was the crime for which they were punished. What else could this be but their religion? Their innocence in other refpects was admirable, and their love of mankind noble and difinterested. But they opposed the worship of the Gods falfely fo named; they fhewed the folly and impiety of the eftablifhed rites; and they exhorted all men to turn from thefe vanities. This by the bigots would be confidered as downright Atheism; than which no greater injury can be offered to mankind. Wherefore, when Tacitus tells us, that the Christians were punished for "their hatred of mankind," he in fact teftifies that they were perfecuted for their religion. If any doubt is entertained of this fact, Suetonius's teftimony will remove it. He fays exprefsly, that the Chriftians were punished with death, being a "fort of men addicted to a new and mischievous fuperftition." The general manner in which Suetonius has reprefented this matter, affords room for fufpecting that not the Chriftians of the city only, but that many others alfo were thus punished. The perfecution diffufed itfelf widely. Some ancient infcriptions found in Spain prove this. It is true, Mr. Voltaire confiders them as doubtful, and endeavours to put a falfe colouring upon them. Yet, even according to his own account, they remain illuftrious monuments of the perfecutions which the firft Chriftians underwent fo early as in the reign of Nero. His words are, Effay, &c. p. 61. "If it be true that in Spain they have tound infcriptions, in which Nero is "thanked for having abolifhed a new fuperftition in that province,' "the antiquity of thefe infcriptions is ftrongly fufpected. But, even "fuppofing them authentic, Chriftianity is not mentioned. And, after all, if thofe contumelious expreffions were levelled against the "Chriftians, muft we not impute them to the Jews fettled at that "time in Spain, who were jealous of the Chriftians, and abhorred "their religion as a domeftic and inveterate enemy?" Farther, the pretence on which the Chriftians were punished, fhews that their fufferings at this time muft have been general. The burning of the city was imputed to them; not directly however, but by confequence; juft as in after-times all the calamities which befell the empire by the inroads of the barbarous nations, by famine or by peftilence, were imputed to the prevalence of Chriftianity. The Chriftians were reckoned Atheifts. They contemned the worship of the Gods, they spread their pernicious principles, and the people were drawn away from the eftablished religion. The Chriftians therefore were enemies of mankind, the Gods were incenfed, and the city was burnt becaufe the rulers tolerated fuch impieties. To this agree all the circumstances of the hiftory. Expiatory facrifices were offered by the emperor, to appeafe the Gods who had brought on the calamity; and the Chriftians, who by their impieties had provoked them, were were fought after to be punished. "Some were apprehended, who "confeffed," not the burning of the city, for Tacitus himself tells us, that was Nero's work. But they confefled their being Chriftians, and they gave information concerning their brethren. Ūpon this, a prodigious number of the fect was feized. And thefe "were convicted, not fo much of the crime of the burning, as of their hatred "of mankind," that is, of their being Chriftians *.-5. The severity of the punishments, which on this occafion the Chriftians underwent for their religion, muft not be overlooked. They were not only put to death in the most cruel manner, but they were infulted in the agonies of death: "Et pereuntibus addita ludibria." To make diverfion for the people, they were fewed in the fkins of wild beafts, and torn to pieces by dogs; they were hanged on croffes, the punishment which the Romans inflicted on their flaves; they were covered over with inflammable matter, and, when the day-light failed, had fire fet to them, that by their burning they might give light in the night-time, fupplying the place of torches in the more frequented parts of the city, and in the emperor's gardens, where the Circenfian games were celebrated on the occafion. That the Chriftians were exposed to fufferings every where on account of their religion, even before Nero punished them, we learn from Epictetus, who lived at Rome in the reign of Nero. For this philofopher, Ap. Arrian. lib. 4. c. 7. alludes to the perfecutions which he observed the Chriftians to fuffer in his time, when he fpeaks of it as a matter of cuftom, or of madness among the Galileans, to neglect their eftates, their bodies, their wives, and their children. Upon the whole, having fuch authentic teftimonies, fhewing the dreadful opinion which the Heathens entertained of the Chriftian religion, and declaring what evils the first Chriftians underwent on that account, Mr. Voltaire ought not to have affirmed, as he has done, "that the Chriftians were not molested by any of "the emperors till the reign of Domitian," and that their fufferings under Nero had nothing at all to do with their religion, which was not fo much as known, and which the Ro"mans confounded with Judaifm, then under the protection of the "laws." 66 II. The fecond perfecution of the Chriftians happened under Domitian, about the 55th year after our Lord's afcenfion, A. D. 90. During this perfecution, Flavius Clemens the conful, a near relation of the emperor, was put to death even in the time of his confulfhip. His wife Flavia Domitilla, nearly related as well as her hufband to Domitian, was banished. Glabrio likewife, a person of confular dignity, was capitally punished, with many others whofe every P 3 names *The particulars above mentioned give probability to Lactantius's account of this persecution, De Mortib. perfecut. cap. 2. "When Nero obferved that not only at Rome, but where elfe, great multitudes daily forfook the worship of idols, and went over to "the new religion, condemning the old, being an execrable and pernicious tyrant, he leaped forth to demolish the heavenly temple, and to destroy justice. So, first of all, perfecuting the fervants of God, he crucified Peter, and flew Paul." 66 names have perifhed. For these facts we have the teftimony of Dion Caffius, preferved by Xiphilin, Domitiano. His words are, "And in the fame year, befides many others, he (Domitian) put "to death Flavius Clemens the conful, although he was his coufin (averso patruelis), and had to wife Flavia Domitilla, who was herfelf alfo his kinfwoman. The accufation brought against both "was that of Atheism, (alto): For which alfo many others "were punished, who had turned afide to the Jewish inftitutions, "(leda non," fo the vulgar called Chriftianity). "Some of them were put to death, others were deprived of their eftates, but Do"mitilla was only banished to Pandeteria. Glabrio alfo, who had "governed as conful with Trajan, being accused of like crimes "with the reft, as well as of other offences, he ordered to be put "to death, after he had fought with wild beafts." To understand this paffage, we must remember that for a while the ignorant confounded the Chriftian with the Jewish religion, because both the first preachers of Chriftianity and the first converts to it, even in the heathen countries, were of that nation. The Heathens confounded the two religions together, for this reafon likewife, that the Jews and Chriftians agreed in their oppofition to Polytheism and idolatry. Moreover, as the profeffors of Judaifm offered no facrifices but in the temple of Jerufalem, all of them who lived among the Heathens agreed with the Chriftians in this other point, that facrifices made no part of their worship. Wherefore, when the vulgar, who univerfally confidered facrifice as the moft effential part of the worfhip of God, found that the Jews and Chriftians denied the exiftence of the Gods commonly worshipped, and that, while they obftinately refused all fociety with them in their facrifices, they had none of their own, they could not avoid looking upon them as Atheists guilty of the most atrocious crimes. Hence Atheist and Jew or Chriftian were terms fynonymous. This is the reason why, in the paffage above quoted, many are faid to have been punished as Atheists, who had gone over to the Jewish religion; fo they termed Christianity, on account of its conformity with Judaifm in the two great articles above mentioned, which made fuch an impreffion upon the Heathens. Their embracing the Chriftian religion, therefore, was the crime for which Domitian punifhed Flavius Clemens and his wife Domitilla, though both of them were his relations; the crime alfo for which he punished Glabrio and the reft. This defection he and his counsellor confidered as downright Atheism; and, being perfuaded that the fate of the ftate was intimately connected with religion, he was fo enraged, that, deaf to the voice of nature and friendship, he thought he could not too feverely punish fuch deteftable crimes. And as in these inftances he was reftrained neither by the dignity of the perfons, nor by the ties of blood, we may be fure, no favour was fhewed to any others guilty of the like of fences. It is therefore reasonable to believe, that as this perfecu |