the presbyter was successor to Dionysius in Alexandria. And Faustus was reserved to the days of Dioclesian again to suffer, even to blood.

At Cæsarea in Palestine three persons were devoured by wild beasts, Priscus, Malcus, and Alexander. These persons led an obscure life in the country; but hearing of the multitude of executions, they blamed themselves for their sloth, came to Cæsarea, went to the judge, and obtained the object of their ambition. A woman, inclined to the heresy of Marcion, of the same city, suffered likewise. Cyprian of Carthage, and above all our Divine Master, condemned the too forward zeal of the former, which yet was, it is hoped, not without the real love of his name; and Marcion's heresy might more nominally than really cleave to the latter.

After three years employed in persecution, Valerian was taken prisoner by Sapor king of Persia, who detained him the rest of his life, and made use of his neck when he mounted his horse, and at length had him flead and salted. This event belongs to secular rather than church history. But as it is perfectly well attested, and no one that I know of, but Mr. Gibbon, ever affected to disbelieve it, it cannot but strike the mind of any one who fears God. Valerian had known and respected the christians his persecution must have been a sin against the light, and it is common with divine providence to punish such in a very exemplary manner.

The church was restored to rest after Valerian's captivity. About the year 262 Gallienus his son and successor, in other respects no reputable emperor, proved a sincere friend to the christians, stopped the persecution by edicts, and had the condescension to give the bishops his letters of licence to return to their pastoral charges. Here follows one of them preserved by Eusebius. "The emperor Cæsar Gallienus to Dionysius, (I suppose the bishop of Alexandria then in exile) Pinna, Demetrius, with the rest of the bishops. The benefit of our favour we command to be published through the world, and I have therefore ordered every ene to withdraw from such places as are devoted to re

ligious uses; so that you may make use of the authority of my edict against any molestation; and I have some time since granted what you may now freely enjoy ; wherefore Cyrenius the governor of the province will observe the rescript which I have sent." He directed also another edict to other bishops, by which he restored to them the places in which they buried their dead.

It is

Were it needful at this day to refute the rash calumnies of Tacitus and others against the christians, one might appeal to these two edicts of Gallienus. impossible that either of them could have taken place, had it not been undeniable that the christians, even to the time beyond the middle of the third century, were men of probity and worthy the protection of government. As it is impossible to avoid this conclusion, the deepest stain rests on the characters of Trajan, Decius, and Valerian, men highly respected in secular history, for treating with savage ferocity subjects of the best characters. But God, who has the hearts of all men in his hand, provided a protector for them in Gallienus, after an unexampled course of heavy persecution for the three last reigns. Gallienus himself seems to have been more like a modern than an ancient sovereign, a man of taste, indolence, and philosophy; disposed to cherish every thing that looked like knowledge and liberty of thinking; by no means so kind and generous in his constant practice as his profession might seem to promise; the slave of his passions, and led away by every sudden feeling that seized his imagination, yet too philosophical to persecute. And christians, as a set of new philosophers, found a complete toleration under a prince whose conscience seems to have set him free from the influence of any religion.

CHAPTER XVII.

From the Reign of Gallienus to the end of the Century. THE general history of the church of Christ for the remaining forty years affords no great quantity of materials. After having collected them into this chapter in order, it may be proper to reserve, to a distinct consideration, the lives of some particular persons, and other matters which belong not to the thread of history.

We behold now a new scene; christians legally tolerated under a Pagan government for forty years. The example of Gallienus was followed by the successive emperors to the end of the century, violated only in one instance, the effect of which was presently dissipated by the hand of Providence. This is not a scene for the growth of grace and holiness; in no time since the apostles was there ever so great a decay; nor can we shew much of any very lively christianity in all this period.

Those are however ill informed in the nature of things, who suppose that there was literally no persecution all this time. Christians are never, in the best times, without their share of it; nor is it in the power of the best governments to protect men of godliness from the malice of the world in all cases. We saw an instance of this in the reign of Commodus; see another under the reign of Gallienus. At Cæsarea in Palestine there was. one Marinus a soldier of great bravery, of noble family, and very opulent. The office of centurion being vacant, Marinus was called to it. Another soldier came before the tribunal, and said that by the laws Marinus was incapacitated, because he was a christian and did not do sacrifice to the emperors; but that he himself, as next in rank, ought to have it. Achæus the governor asked Marinus what was his religion; on which he confessed himself a christian. The governor gave him three hours space to deliberate. Upon this Theotecnes, bishop of Cæsarea, calls Marinus from the tribunal, takes

him by the hand, and leads him to the church, shews him the sword that hung by his side, and a New Testament which he pulled out of his pocket, and bids him choose which of the two he liked best. Marinus stretching out his right hand, takes up the Holy Scripture. "Hold fast then," said Theotecnes, "cleave to God, and what you have chosen you shall enjoy, being strengthened by him, and depart in peace." After he had returned thence he was by the crier's voice ordered to appear again at the bar, the time of three hours being expired. There he manfully confessed the faith of Christ, heard the sentence of condemnation, and was beheaded.

Without more acquaintance with the particular* institutes of Roman law on this subject, it is not easy to reconcile this proceeding with the edict of Gallienus. Perhaps the act of Achæus was illegal, or some particular military law might stand against the martyr. The fact however rests on the best authority, and the profession of arms had still those among them who loved Jesus, since the days of Cornelius.

The greatest luminary in the church at this time was Dionysius of Alexandria. His works are lost; but a few extracts of them preserved by Eusebius have been given, and some few more may here be introduced. Speaking of the Sabelian heresy, which had now made its appearance, he says:

"As many brethren have sent their books and disputations in writing to me concerning the impious doctrine lately sown at Pentapolis in Ptolemais, containing many blasphemies against the Almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and also much infidelity concerning his only begotten Son, the first begotten of every creature, and the word incarnate, and also senseless ignorance of the Holy Ghost, some of them I have transcribed and sent the copies to you."

This is the first account of the origin of Sabelianism, a plausible corruption, no doubt, perhaps the most so of all those which oppose the mystery of the Trinity.

But like all the rest it fails for want of scripture evidence, and shews itself only to be a weak attempt to lower to human reason, what was never meant to be amenable to its tribunal. The careful distinctions of Dionysius, in recounting the persons of the Trinity, were very proper in speaking of an heresy, which confounds the persons, and leaves them nothing of those distinct characters on which the nature of the gospel so much depends.

This bishop also delivers his sentiments in the controversy concerning the re-baptizing of heretics against the practice, and he condemns with great severity the Novatian schism, because, says he, "it charges the most loving and merciful God with unmercifulness."* Yet in the former subject he confesses himself staggered, for the present at least, in his opinion by a certain fact. "When the brethren were gathered together, a certain person allowed to be sound in the faith, an ancient minister of of the clergy, before my time, being present when some were baptized, and hearing the interrogatories and responses, came to me weeping and wailing, and falling prostrate at my feet, protested that the baptism which he had received being heretical, could not be the true baptism, and had no agreement with that which was in use among us, being full of impiety and blasphemy. He owned that the distress of his conscience was extreme, that he durst not presume to lift up his eyes to God, because he had been baptized with profane words and rites. He begged therefore to be baptized, which I durst not do, but told him that frequent communion many times administered might suffice him. When he had heard thanksgiving sounded in the church, and had sung to it Amen; when he had been present at the Lord's table, and had stretched forth his hand to receive the holy food, and had communicated, and of a long time had been partaker of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, I durst not re-baptise him, but bade him be of good cheer and of a sure faith, and

Book 7, chap. 7.