The third Perfecution under Trajan.

The Chriftian Religion, by the beginning of the fecond century, had prodigioufly increafed, and fpread itself through a great extent in Europe, Afia, and Africa; and all confiderable cities were governed by their respective Bishops. Trajan, the Roman Emperor, according to the pagan writers, was of a mild temper and poffeffed of many amiable qualities, which gained him from the fenate the title of Optimus," or, "Good Prince." But this glorious title received a black and indelible stain from the perfecutions which he permitted to be carried on against the Chriftians. For, though he iffued out no new Edicts against them, he fuffered the former fanguinary laws to be executed in different parts of the Empire in the years 106, 107, &c. A clear inftance of this appears in his anfwer to Pliny the Younger, Governor of Pontus and Bithynia, who had writ to know his pleasure, what should be done with the Chriftians who were very numerous in the provinces of his Government. Trajan's anfwer was, "Let the Chriftians not be fought for; but "if they be accufed and convicted as fuch, let "them be punished." The chief of thofe who gained the Crown of martyrdom in his reign were, St. Clement, Bishop of Rome; St. Simeon, Bishop of Jerufalem; St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, whom Trajan himself condemed and fent to Rome, there to be torn to pieces by wild beafts in the Amphitheatre.

The fourth Perfecution under Marcus Aurelius.

The fourth perfecution finds its place in the reign of Marcus Aurelius, in the year 166, &c. Many Christians indeed had been facrificed under the Emperor Adrian, by virtue of former laws remaining in force, but at laft he mitigated them by an express order. Marcus Aurelius was extremely fuperftiti

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ous; and as he alfo boafted of being a Philofopher, he was easily inftigated by the heathen Priefs and Philofophers against the Chriftians, whole principles of Religion and Philofophy were fo contrary to theirs. If Aurelius iffued out no new Edicts, he permitted at least the Governors of provinces to put in execution the laws fubfifting. And that the perfecution was very violent and bloody, appears from the feveral Apologies prefented to him by St. Juftin, Melito, Athenagoras, and Apollinaris, intreating him to put a flop to it. The fame is allo evident from the number of thofe that were crowned with Martyrdon?. In Afia, St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, was put to death, and many others about the fame time. At Rome was beheaded St. Juftin, who wrote two Apologies for the Chriftians. Several others fhared with him the fame crown. At Lyons, St. Pothinus the Bishop, and many of all ages and conditions were, through the most acute and cruel torments, conveyed to Heaven. At length the Emperor put an end to the perfecution about the year 174, prevailed upon, as is fuppofed, by the figual favour he and his army, in the German war, received from Heaven by the prayers of the Chriftian Legion. He was fhut up in narrow defiles, and furrounded by the Quadi and Marcomanni, and his foldiers were ready to perifh with exceffive heat and thirft. Under thefe calamities, the Chriftian foldiers humbly addreffed themselves to God, who immediately fent a plentiful fhower of rain, which relieved Aurelius's army, and at the fame time a violent ftorm of hail, with dreadful flashes of lightning upon the enemies; which gave a compleat victory to the Emperor.

The fifth Perfecution under Severus.

After the death of Marcus Aurelius in 180, the Chriftians enjoyed a refpite of tolerable peace till the reign of Severus, a crafty, treacherous, and bloody

prince,

prince, and by his nature truly anfwering his name. He at first treated the Chriftians with humanity, but was afterwards prevailed upon by their enemies to commence a furious perfecution. He not only fuffered the Governors of the provinces to perfecute the Chriftians by the laws already ftanding, but he gave out in the year 202 fresh Edicts, which were executed with fuch rigour and barbarity, that the Faithful imagined the time of Antichrift was come.. About the beginning of this perfecution, Tertullian wrote his Apology for the Chriftians, a masterly work, in which he refutes all the calumnies publifhed against them, fhews the divine morality of their doctrine, and exposes the abfurdity of the Pagan Religion. But it does not appear that fo pathetic an addrefs had any effect. The fire of this perfecution raged through all the Provinces of the Roman Empire, but far from confuming the Church of Chrift, it only. ferved to purify it, and to make it shine with greater luftre. The moft illuftrious Victims immolated on this occafion were, St. Victor Bishop of Rome, Leonidas Origen's Father beheaded at Alexandria, and feveral of Origen's fcholars. St. Potamiæna, an illuftrious Virgin, and her mother Marcella, after various torments were burned alive. SS. Felicitas and Perpetua, the one a noble Lady in Mauritania, and brought to bed but the day before; the other at that time a nurse; St. Speratus and his companions beheaded at Carthage; St. Irenæus, Bishop of Lyons, and many thousands of his people martyred with him.

The fixth Perfecution under Maximinus.

During the space of twenty-four years, times were peaceable for the Chriftians, till Maximinus ftept into the Imperial Throne in 235, a man of bafe origin, and barbarous nature. He raised the fixth Perfecution, chiefly against the Bishops and Minifters, and the Teachers and principal Promoters of Chrifti

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anity. The Hiftorian Capitolinus fays of him, that never did a more cruel Beaft tread on the earth." St. Pontian Pope fuffered in this perfecution, and feveral others. Happily it did not laft above two years, Maximinus being cut off after a fhort reign.

The feventh Perfecution under Decius.

For ten years from the death of Maximinus till the reign of Decius, the Church enjoyed a tolerable tranquillity; and as Maximinus's perfecution was chiefly levelled against the Paftors, the bulk of Chriftians had tafted the fweets of peace for 38 years. This period of tranquility occafioned, conformably to the bent of human nature, a remiffness in the Chriftians, and a relaxation in their morals; of which St. Cyprian, who lived at that time, grievously complained. Almighty God.therefore, to punifh their neglect, to revive their fervour, and to try them in a fiery crucible, permitted a most severe general perfecution under Decius, in the year 249. This favage Emperor, feeing that Chriftianity had gained prodigious growth over the whole Roman Empire, and that Paganism on that account visibly declined, was refolved to fupport the latter by effectually ruining the former. He therefore iffued out a cruel Edict against the Chriftians, and fent it to all the Governors of provinces. The Chriftians were immediately driven from their houses, and ftript of their eftates: Whips and prifons, fires and wild beafts, fcalded pitch and melted wax, fharp ftakes and burning pincers, were the ordinary inftruments used for their torments. Slow tortures were particularly employed, in order to tire out the patience of the fufferers. This perfecution crowned at Rome Fabian Pope, Abdon and Sennen, and many others. A great harveft of martyrs was made at Carthage: Apollonia, with many others, fuffered at Alexandria, as related by St. Dionyfius, Bishop of that fee. In the Eaft it

swept

fwept away Babylas, Bishop of Antioch, Alexander, Bishop of Jerufalem, with thoufands more. Such was the rage of the Pagan Magiftrates, that the hiltorian Nicephorus declares, it would be easier to count the fands of the sea, than to reckon up all the Martyrs of this perfecution. Many Chriftians fled from this scene of flaughter into the deferts. One of this number was St. Paul, of the province of Thebais in Egypt, who became an eminent Anchoret, and is ftyled the first Hermit.

The eighth Perfecution under Valerian.

Valerian being invefted with the Imperial purple, was at firft very favourable to the Chriftians; but he fuffered his mind to be poifoned by the fuggeftions of Magicians, who perfuaded him, that to procure fuccefs in his wars, and profperity to the Empire, he muft render the Gods propitious by fuppreffing Christianity. In this view he iffued out Edicts, and commenced a bloody perfecution in the year 257, which lafted three years and a half. Some of the chief Martyrs were: at Rome, St. Stephen Pope, his fucceffor St. Xyftus, with St. Laurence his Deacon; St. Fructuofus Bishop of Tarragon in Spain; St. Saturninus Bishop of Toulouse, and St. Felix of Nola. Many were the holy Victims in Egypt, as St. Dionyfius, Bishop of Alexandria, relates. Violent allo was the perfecution in other parts of Africa, where many fuffered death, and many others were condemned to work in the mines: But the most eminent of the Martyrs in that part of the world was St. Cyprian Bishop of Carthage, who had fo ftrenu oully fupported the Chriftian Religion by his writ ings and example, and had encouraged others to martyrdom both by his words and letters. He had efcaped the perfecution of Decius; but now he was firft banifhed, then beheaded for the Faith, in the neighbourhood of Carthage.

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