presently deluged the Roman empire with Chriftian blood. Cruelties hitherto unheard-of, and all kinds of tortures were employed upon the Chriftians. Some were hung up with their heads downwards, and fuffocated by flow fires, as in Mefopotamia; others were broiled upon gridirons, as in Syria. Some were flain by breaking their legs, as in Cappadocia; others had sharp reeds thruft under their nails, and others melted lead, poured upon them, as in Pontus. Some were beheaded in Arabia; others devoured by wild beasts in Phoenicia. In Egypt infinite numbers fuffered: Some of whom, after being cruelly fcourged, racked, and having their flesh torn off with pincers, or raked off with pieces of broken pots, were committed to the fire, or thrown into the fea. In Phrygia, a populous city confifting all of Chriftians, was furrounded by a body of foldiers, who fet fire to it, and men, women, and children, were all confumed in the flames. In fine, Eufebius the hiftorian, who was eye-witnefs of fome of thefe barbarous fcenes, fays, that the cruelties exercised against the Chriftians were innumerable, and exceeded all relation. He alfo adds, that the people were not fuffered to buy or fell any thing, or to draw water from the public fountains, without firft offering incenfe to idols, placed there for that purpose. It would be endless to reckon up the number of Martyrs of thefe times.

Thus was the perfecution carried on by Dioclefian in the Eaft, and Maximian in the Weft; and afterwards by their fucceffors, for the fpace of ten years, with fome interruptions, till Conftantine, the first Chriftian Emperor, put a stop to it in the year 313, and gave peace to the Church.

Whoever defires a fuller account of all these perfecutions, may have recourfe to the Writers of Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, Eufebius, Lactantius de mortibus Perfecutorum, Tillemont, Cave, &c. What has been here faid, explains fufficiently the meaning of the fhower of hail and fire mixed with blood, which fell

ufly fupported the Chriftian religion by his writngs and example, and had encouraged others to martyrdom both by his words and letters. He had fcaped the perfecution of Decius; but now he was Erft banished, then beheaded for the faith, in the eighbourhood of Carthage.

The ninth Perfecution under Aurelian.

The emperor Aurelian, in the beginning of his eign, behaved with humanity towards the Chriftins; but being ftrongly attached to idolatrous worhip, he at last sent out, in the year 274, violent dicts to exterminate the Chriftian religion: but as e died foon after, this perfecution was fhort. The rincipal victims it fent to heaven were: St. Felix, ope; St. Mamas, at Cæfarea in Cappadocia; St. Agapitus in Italy; St. Savinianus, bishop of Troyes; t. Reverianus, bishop of Autun; St. Columba, virin; and many others in France.

The tenth Perfecution under Dioclefian.

The tenth and laft general perfecution, the moft evere and moft bloody of all, was fet on foot by the mperor Dioclefian. The Chriftian religion had y this time gained fo much ground, that in every rovince of the Roman empire, and even almost n every town, multitudes profeffed it, and public hurches had been built, where they affembled for rayer, and other holy exercifes. Satan now raging with envy, and feeing his empire near expiring, eemed to fummon up his whole ftrength, in order. o make a laft effort for the fupport of idolatry, and he deftruction of Chriftianity. He infpired Diolefian, and his colleague Maximian, with the most ancorous hatred against the Chriftians. Dioclefian ublished an edict at Nicomedia in the year 303, rdering the churches to be pulled down, and the Holy Scriptures to be burnt. But this was only a prelude to his fubfequent inhuman edicts, which

Perfecut here fail

presently deluged the Roman empire with Chriftian blood. Cruelties hitherto unheard-of, and all kinds of tortures were employed upon the Chriftians. Some were hung up with their heads downwards, and fuffocated by flow fires, as in Mefopotamia; others were broiled upon gridirons, as in Syria. Some were flain by breaking their legs, as in Cappadocia; others had fharp reeds thruft under their nails, and others melted lead, poured upon them, as in Pontus. Some were beheaded in Arabia; others devoured by wild beasts in Phoenicia. In Egypt infinite numbers fuffered: Some of whom, after being cruelly fcourged, racked, and having their flesh torn off with pincers, or raked off with pieces of broken pots, were committed to the fire, or thrown into the fea. In Phrygia, a populous city confifting all of Chriftians, was furrounded by a body of foldiers, who fet fire to it, and men, women, and children, were all confumed in the flames. In fine, Eufebius the hiftorian, who was eye-witnefs of fome of these barbarous fcenes, fays, that the cruelties exercised against the Christians were innumerable, and exceeded all relation. He alfo adds, that the people were not fuffered to buy or fell any thing, or to draw water from the public fountains, without firft offering incenfe to idols, placed there for that purpose. It would be endless to reckon up the number of Martyrs of thefe times. Thus was the perfecution carried on by Dioclefian in the Eaft, and Maximian in the Weft; and afterwards by their fucceffors, for the space of ten years, with fome interruptions, till Conftantine, the first Chriftian Emperor, put a stop to it in the year 313, and gave peace to the Church.

Whoever defires a fuller account of all thefe perfecutions, may have recourfe to the Writers of Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, Eufebius, Lactantius de mortibus Perfecutorum, Tillemont, Cave, &c. What has been here faid, explains fufficiently the meaning of the shower of hail and fire mixed with blood, which fell

upon the Chriftian Church, according to the text of Apocalypfe here confidered.

And now may we not, for a moment, take a quiet view of the triumph of the Church over all her enemies? The devil, like a fierce lion, had closely watched her, and made repeated furious attempts to devour her: But the Lion of the tribe of Juda stood for her protection, and defeated all his affaults. Those haughty Princes, the Roman emperors, by Satan's inftigation, bore down against her with all the weight of their power, to which the faithful oppofed no other arms but patience: Neverthelels the edifice of the Church could not be thrown down, because He that built it was himself the corner-ftone, and had declared, it fhould ftand for ever. The Pagans perfuaded themselves, that by dint of tortures and feverities, they could totally crush the Chriftians, and extinguish their very name: but their expectations were fruftrated, and they faw them daily increase under thofe very oppreffions. The more Chriftians they tortured, or put to death, the more converts were made, from the view of fuch amazing examples of fortitude; and the Christian blood they fpilt, as Tertullian told them, was the feed of new Chriftians. The heavy preffures the Church laboured under, ferved but to purify her members like gold in the furnace, and from the fire of perfecution The rofe up, like the Phoenix, more bright and more vigorous. The idolatrous emperors of Rome looked upon the Chriftian religion as a mere human invention, and in this lay their mistake: They were ignorant that the work was of divine conftruction, that it was the new kingdom of the God of Heaven which had just been founded, and to which, by the eternal decrees, all other kingdoms were to give place, Dan. ii. 44. It was the ftone, foretold by the prophet Daniel, "cut out of the mountain without hands," Dan. ii. 34. which should break down all preceding powers, even the great Empire of Rome

itself; that is, it should deftroy the empire of idolatry in all nations, and reduce them to the obedience. of its own laws, even Rome itself, which was to be for a time the chief feat and fortress of idolatry. "This ftone," purfues the fame prophet, "grew up into a great mountain, and filled the whole earth," Dan.. ii. 35. which fignifies, that the extent of the Chrif tian religion was to have no other bounds but the extremities of the earth. Such being the folid foundation of the Church laid by the Almighty's hand, all human efforts against her muft of course prove vain and abortive. The perfecutions, however violent, had no other effect but to throw a gloomy veil over her for a while; but that being once removed, the appeared with. new ftrength, and like the fun emerging from an eclipfe, the fhone forth with greater luftre, and spread her influence over the whole earth.

Prelude to the pouring out of the feven Vials.

APOC. Chap. XV. v. 1. "And I faw," fays St. John," another fign in heaven great and wonderful: feven angels, having the feven laft plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God."*

Here is a new vifion, great and wonderful, fhewn to St. John; feven angels holding the figurative fymbols of feven plagues or fcourges, that is, of feven dreadful punishments. They are called the laft, because in them is filled up or completed the wrath of God, being inflicted on mankind in the laft period of the world, which is the period of Chriftianity. Accordingly, the first of thefe fcourges takes place as we fhall fee, foon after the beginning of the Chriftian æra, and the feventh puts an end to the world.

v. 2." And I faw," continues St. John, "as it were, a fea of glafs mingled with fire, and them that had overcome the beaft, and his image †, and the

number

*In the Greek text, "having feven plagues the laft, because in them was fulfilled the wrath of God."