emplified in their deaths. Thousands of them have suffered with deliberate judgment, preferring heavenly things to earthly, having counted the cost, and made a reasonable decision, not uncertain (as he expresses himself) concerning a future life, calmly departing this life without any circumstances to justify the suspicion of pride or ostentation, and adorned with meekness, cheerfulness, and charity, which induced tens of thousands to examine what that hidden energy of christian life must be, which produces such exalted sentiments and such grandeur of spirit. And the power of prejudice was never more strongly exhibited than in this malignant sentence; which, in truth, is the more inexcusable, because he laboured under no involuntary ignorance of christians. For, besides the knowledge of them which he must have acquired under his predecessor, he had an opportunity of knowing them from various Apologies published in his reign. Justin's Second Apology we have seen was published; one sentence of which demonstrates, in how striking a manner our Saviour's prophecy was then fulfilled, A man's foes shall be they of his own household. Every where he observes, if a Gentile was reproved by a father or relation, he would revenge himself by informing against the reprover; in consequence of which he was liable to be dragged before the governor, and put to death. Tatian also,

Athenagoras, Apollinaris bishop of Hierapolis, and Theophilus of Antioch, and Melito of Sardis published Apologies. This last published his about the year 177, of which some valuable remains are preserved in Eusebius. A part of his address to Marcus deserves to be quoted on account of the justness of the sentiments, and the politeness with which they are delivered. "Pious persons aggrieved by new edicts published throughout Asia, and never before practised, now suffer persecution. For audacious sycophants, and men who covet other persons' goods, take advantage of these proclamations openly to rob and spoil

* B. 4. 25. c.

the innocent by night and by day. If this be done through your order, let it stand good; for a just emperor cannot act unjustly, and we will cheerfully carry away the honour of such a death; this only we humbly crave of your majesty, that, after an impartial examination of us and our accusers, you would justly decide whether we deserve death and punishment, or life and protection. But if these proceedings be not yours, and the new ediets be not the effects of your personal judgment, (edicts which ought not to be enacted against barbarian enemies) in that case we entreat you not to despise us, who are thus unjustly oppressed." He afterwards reminds him of the jus-^ tice done to christians by his two immediate prede

From this account it is evident that Marcus, by new edicts, commenced the persecution, and that it was carried on with merciless barbarity in those Asiatic re.. gions which had been relieved by Pius. There is nothing pleasant that can be suggested to us by this view of things, but this circumstance, that the out-pouring of the Spirit of God still continued to produce its holy fruits in those highly favoured regions.

In the two next chapters I shall describe distinctly two scenes of this emperor's persecution. Nothing more in general concerning him remains to be mentioned, except the remarkable story of his danger and relief in the war of the Marcomanni.* He and his army being hemmed in by the enemy, were ready to perish with thirst; when suddenly a storm of thunder and lightning affrighted the enemies, whilst the rain refreshed the Romans. It is evident that the victory was obtained by a remarkable providential interposition. The

christian soldiers in his army, we are sure, in their distress would pray to their God, even if Eusebius had not told us so. All christian writers speak of the relief as vouchsafed in answer to their prayers, and no real christian will doubt of the soundness of their judg

Euseb. b. 5. ch. 5.

ment in this point. I have only to add, that Marcus, in a manner agreeable to his usual superstition, ascribed his deliverance to his gods. Each party judged according to their views, and those moderns who ascribe the whole to the ordinary powers of nature, judge also according to their usual skepticism. Whether the divine interposition deserves to be called a miracle or not, is a question rather concerning propriety of language than religion. This seems to me all that is needful to be said on a fact which on one side has been magnified beyond all bounds, and on the other has been reduced to mere insignificancy. It happened in the year 174. He lived five years after this, as far as appears, a persecutor to the last.

CHAPTER V.

Martyrdom of Polycarp.

THE year 167, the sixth of Marcus, Smyrna was distinguished by the martyrdom of her bishop Poly

carp.

The reader has heard of him before in the account of Ignatius. He had succeeded Bucolus, a vigilant and industrious bishop, in the charge of Smyrna. The apostles, and we may apprehend St. John particularly, ordained him to this office. He had been familiarly conversant with the apostles, and received the govern ment of the church from those who had been eye-wit nesses and ministers of our Lord, and continually taught that which he had been taught by them. Usher, in his Prolegom. to Ignatius, has laboured to shew that he was the angel of the church of Smyrna addressed by our Saviour. If he is not mistaken in this, the character of Polycarp is delineated by a hand indeed divine, and the martyrdom before us was particularly predicted.

Euseb. 4. ch. 14.

Cave's Life of Polycarp.

He must indeed have presided seventy-four years over that church by this account; but we shall hereafter sce that his age must have been extremely great. He certainly long survived his friend Ignatius, and was reserved to suffer by Marcus Antoninus. Sometime before

this he came to Rome to hold a conference with Anicetus, the bishop of that See, concerning the time of observing Easter. The matter was soon decided between them, as all matters should be which enter not into the essence of godliness. They each observed their own customs without any breach of charity between them, real or apparent. But he found more important employment while at Rome. The heresy of Marcion was strong in that city; and the testimony and zealous labours of one who had known so much of the apostles were successfully employed against it, and many were reclaimed. It was not in Marcion's power to undermine the authority of this venerable Asiatic. To procure a seeming coalition was the utmost he could expect, and it was as suitable to his views to attempt this, as it was to those of Polycarp to oppose. Meeting him one day in the street, he called out to him, "Polycarp, own "I do own thee," says the zealous bishop, "to "be the first-born of Satan." I shall refer the reader to what has been said already of St. John's similar conduct on such occasions, adding only that Irenæus, from whom Eusebius relates the story, commends his conduct, and speaks of it as commonly practised by the apostles and their followers. Irenæus informs us* that he had a particular delight in recounting what had been told by those who had seen Christ in the flesh, that he used to relate what he had been informed concerning his doctrine and miracles, and when he heard of any heretical attempts to overturn christian fundamentals, he would cry out, To what times, O God, hast thou reserved me! and would leave the place.

us."

Indeed when it is considered what Marcion maintained, and what unquestionable evidence Polycarp had

Irexus Epistle to Florin.

against him in point of matter of fact, we shall see he had just reason to testify his diapprobation. The man was one of the Docete; with him Christ had no real manhood at all. He rejected the whole Old Testament, and mutilated the New. He held two principles, after the manner of the Manichees, in order to account for the origin of evil. If men who assert things so fundamentally subversive of the gospel, would openly disavow the christian name, they might be endured with much more composure by christians, nor would there be any call for so scrupulous an absence from their society, as St. Paul has determined the case.* But for such men, whether ancient or modern, to call themselves christians, is an intolerable insult on the common sense of mankind. We know nothing more of the life of this great man. Of the circumstances of his death, we have an account, and they deserve a copious relation.

The greatest part of the ancient narrative is preserved by Eusebius. The beginning and the end, which he has not given us, have been restored by the care of archbishop Usher. It is an Epistle written in the name of Polycarp's church of Smyrna: I have ventured to translate the whole myself, yet not without examining what Valesius, the editor of Eusebius, and archbishop Wake, have left us on the subject. It is doubtless one of the most precious ornaments of antiquity, and it seemed to deserve also some notes and illustrations.

"The church of God which sojourns at Smyrna, to that which sojourns at Philomelium, and in all places where the holy catholic church sojourns throughout the world, may the mercy, peace, and love of God the Father, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, be multiplied! We have written to you, brethren, as well concerning the other martyrs, as particularly the blessed Polycarp, who, as it were, sealing by his tes timony, closed the persecution. For all these things

1 Cor. 5. x. † B. 4. Euseb. hist. ch. xv.

A city of Lycaonia. I thought it right to give the English reader the original idea of sojourning. It was the usual language and the spirit too of the church at that time.