fcourged with whips. He commanded alfo the officers of his armies to constrain all the foldiers to do the fame, or to discharge the difobedient from the service. Eufebius alludes to this in the foregoing paffage. Chriftian truth, however, had not fo univerfally decayed, but that many chose rather to refign their commiffions, than to do violence to their confciences.-Very few were put to death on this account.-The ftory of Marcellus is remarkablet. Mr. Gibbon has undertaken to juftify his execution, by representing him as punished purely for defertion and military disobedience. But, it is no unfual thing for this hiftorian to fupprefs or to disguife facts, when the credit of religion is concerned: and I might have added this inftance to the lift of his perverfions, which I formerly fubmitted to the judgment of the public. The truth is, the death of Marcellus was the effect of a PARTIAL PERSECUTION: New military rules, fubverfive of Chriftianity, were introduced: Chriftian foldiers were ordered to facrifice to the gods; and they could not do this without renouncing their religion:-Otherwife, it was, in thofe times, not uncommon for the followers of Jefus to serve in the armies.

A. D. It was in the year two hundred and ninety298. eight, at Tangier in Mauritania, while every one

was employed in feafting and facrifices, that Marcellus the centurion took off his belt, threw down his vine-branch and his arms, and added, "I will not fight any longer under the banner of your emperor, or ferve your gods of wood and ftone. If the condition of a foldier be fuch that he is obliged to facrifice to gods and emperors, I abandon the vine-branch and the belt, and quit the fervice."

Lactantius de morte perfecut.

+ Acta fincera, Fleury, Book 8, Chap. 27.
See Milner's Gibbon.

fervice." "We plainly fee the caufe," fays Fleury," that forced the Chriftians to defert:They were compelled to partake of idolatrous worfhip." The centurion was ordered to be beheaded: And Caffianus, the regifter, whose business it was to take down the fentence, cried out aloud that he was shocked at its injuftice. Marcellus fmiled for joy, foreseeing that Caffianus would be his fellow-martyr: In fact, he was actually martyred about a month after.

When I read Mr. Gibbon's account of this tranfaction, 1 concluded, that Marcellus had fuffered on principles of modern quakerifm.-Quite unneceffary are any further remarks, on a fubject, which is not in the finalleft degree obfcure or uncertain.

Thefe preliminaries to the perfecution, with which the next century opens, did not, it feems, duly affect the minds of Chriftians in general; nor was the fpirit of prayer ftirred up among them ;a certain fign of long and obftinate decay in godlinefs! There muft have been, in fecret, a lamentable departure from the lively faith of the Gofpel. Origenifm, and the learning and philosophy connected with it, were extremely fashionable: And we conjecture, that the fermons of Chriftian paftors had more, in general, of a merely moral and philofophical caft, than of any thing purely evangelical. In truth,-juftification by faith,-hearty conviction of fin,-and the Spirit's influences, are, fcarcely, mentioned in all this feafon. Moral duties, I doubt not, were inculcated, but profeffors of Christianity continued immoral and fcandalous in their lives. The ftate of the Church of England from the time of Charles II. down to the middle of the laft reign,-full of party, faction and animofities and love of the world, yet in its public miniftrations, adorned with learning, and abounding in external mora

lity,-feems very much to resemble that of the Chriftian Church in manners and in piety, from the death of Dionyfius to the end of the century.-In one inftance there was a great difference; Superftition was much stronger in the antient Church; but, as it was enlifted in the fervice of felf-righteousness, and as the faith of Chrift and the love of God was, in a great measure, buried under it, such a diverfity does not affect the general likeness.

God, who had exercised long patience, declared at length in the courfe of his providence, "Because I have purged thee, and thou waft not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthinefs any more, till I have caufed MY FURY TO REST UPON THEE"

But this fcene, which introduces quite a new face on the Church, and was quickly followed by feveral furprising revolutions, belongs to the next Century.

Ezek. xxiv. 13.

CHAP.

CHAP. XVIII.

SOME ACCOUNT OF GREGORY

THAUMA

TURGUS, THEOGNOSTUS, AND DIONYSIUS
OF ROME.

TH

HESE three perfons are all, whom I can find belonging to the third century, to whom, according to my plan, fufficient juftice has not been done already. Of the two laft, indeed, I have little to fay. Of the firft more is recorded. Eufebius has given a fhort account of him; and his life is written, at length, by Gregory of Nyffen. Cave and Fleury have collected the most material things concerning him; but the former is more to be depended on.I wish to furnish the reader with every information that may appear valuablé concerning this great man: I wish to feparatė truth from fiction. Confiderable allowance, no doubt, must be made for the growth of fuperftitious credulity :-I dare not, however, reject all that part of Gregory's narrative, in which miraculous powers are afcribed to Thaumaturgus.— His very namet admonishes the hiftorian to be cautious in this matter; and though no great ftrefs, perhaps, ought to be laid on fuch a circumftance alone, it behoves us to remember that the fame idea is fupported by the concurrent teftimony of antiquity.

He

Book 6. Chap. 29.

+ Wonderworker.

He was born at Neocæfarea, the metropolis of Cappadocia. His father, zealous for paganifm, took care to educate him in idolatry, and in the learning of the Gentile world.-He died when his fon was only fourteen years of age.-The mother of Thaumaturgus took care, however, to complete his education and that of his brother Athenodorus, who was afterwards a Christian bishop, as well as himself. He travelled to Alexandria to learn the platonic philofophy, where he was equally remarkable for ftri&tnefs of life and for close attention to his ftudies. The renowned Origen, at that time, gave lectures in religion and philofophy, at Cæfarea in Palestine. Thaumatur gus, his brother Athenodorus, and Firmilian, a Cappadocian gentleman, with whom he had contracted an intimate friendfhip, put themselves under his tuition. This fame Firmilian is the Cappadocian bifhop, whom we have, repeatedly, had occafion to mention. The two brothers continued five years with Origen, and were perfuaded by him to ftudy the holy Scriptures; and no doubt is to be made, but that the moft affiduous pains were exerted by that zealous teacher to ground them in the belief of Chriftianity.-On his departure he delivered an eloquent speech in praise of Origen, before a numerous auditory;-a teftimony at once of his gratitude and of his powers of rhetoric.

There is ftill extant a letter written by Origen to Gregory Thaumaturgus*, in which he exhorts him to apply his knowledge to the promotion of Chriftianity--The beft thing in it is, that he advifes him to pray fervently and seriously for the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

Being now returned to Neocæfarea, he gave himfelf much to prayer and retirement; and, doubt

• Origen Philocab. C. 13.

Jefs,