1 it, and to threaten them with being burnt to death if they persisted'; and in the fourth century, they were the chief authors of a most violent persecution of the Christians in Persia, under Sapores, king thereof; which extended to the martyrdom of the Christian bishops and priests, and the demolishing of the churches. This persecution they procured, by falsely suggesting to the Persian king, (who it seems was at variance with the Roman emperor,) that Simeon, the Christian bishop in Persia, held a treasonable correspondence with the emperor,) and betrayed the Persian counsels to him; and some time after this, under pretence of a Christian church being on fire in the night, they surprised and murdered a great number of Christians in Alexandriaa. Lastly, St. Jerome, about the same time, informs us, that the Jews were wont three times a day, in all their synagogues, to curse the very name of Christians, under the title of Nazarenes". And as this usage of their cursing Christians continues, so they abuse to that purpose. Having made this short digression, (which may somewhat illustrate the opposition which the Jews made against Christianity at the first,) we may observe further, that, besides the spiteful suggestions and malice of the Jews, there were other reasons for the oppositions made against the Christian religion, and the professors and preachers of it, by the Roman powers, and other Gentiles. 1st, These considered their own religion as the religion of their ancestors, and of their country, which their forefathers had a long time professed and practised; and so, instead of enquiring into the a Socrates Hist. 1. vii. cap. 13. c Buxtorf. ibid. Psal. lxix. 25. y Codex de Judæis apud Centuriatores. Centuria iv. p. 850. E. z Sozom. Hist. 1. ii. cap. 8. Hieronym. in Isaiah v. 8. and lxxix. 6. and Lam. iii. 66. excellent design of Christianity, and the miracles wrought in confirmation of it, they conceived no small prejudice against it, as a new and strange doctrine, preferring one Jesus, that was crucified, to all their gods; and against the publishers of it, as men who turned the world upside down. Hence the Christian religion, at its first appearance, was every where spoken against by the Gentiles, and accused of atheism and d impiety, as tending to undermine the very being and worship of their gods, and to bring their temples and sacrifices into contempt; which had been for so many ages throughout the world so much reverenced and esteemed. Again, besides the general prejudice the heathens conceived against the Christian religion, as undermining their own, the Roman governórs were excited against it, from their jealousy of all innovations in religion, as tending to faction, and moving of sedition. Now these prejudices of the heathen were manifestly unreasonable for the Christian religion is the oldest religion in the world; which teaches the worship of the one true God, which the ancient Patriarchs and first planters of the world professed; and is much superior in age to what the most ancient Gentiles could pretend to. And the preachers of this religion were so far from setting up atheism, and contempt of religion, (as they were accused to do, because they preached against the many idols and false gods,) that on the contrary, they pressed the worship of the true God, the Maker of heaven and earth, and propounded the best rewards for so doing; and also enjoined the most peaceable subjection to government. And yet on this mistaken notion of the atheism of Christians, they were frequently accused by the heathens, as being the occasion of all the e. Acts Cave's Primitive Christianity, part i. chap. 1. xvii. 6. and xix. 26, 27, 28, 35. f Acts xvii. 6. and xxiv. 5. public calamities that befel the world; as earthquakes, famine, pestilence, &c. The people judging, that the gods took vengeance on the empire, for that neglect of the ancient Pagan worship, which was caused by the doctrines of the Gospel, wherever they took place. This occasioned divers excellent apologies of the most learned among the Christians, in the second and third centuries". 2dly, The doctrine of the resurrection, as well as of Christ crucified, was a great stumbling-block to many of the Gentiles". Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoics, encountered him and some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods; because he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection. Upon which St. Paul sets before them the true God, the Maker and Preserver of the world, in whom we live, and move, and have our being. And further adds, that it ought not to have seemed so strange to them, that he preached Jesus the Saviour, and also the Judge of all men ; seeing God hath given assurance thereof, in that he hath raised him from the dead; and consequently, that by him he both can and will raise others also; especially, since he hath given such power unto men, to work so great miracles in confirmation of this doctrine and why should it be thought so difficult, for the all-seeing and all-powerful God, to gather together and make up the body, out of the same remaining materials, however scattered, altered, or dispersed, (for nothing can be annihilated, or utterly destroyed, but by the same power that created it,) as well as at the first, to form it out of the confused mixture in the dust of the earth! 3dly, The preachers of Christianity taught men to As of Tertullian, Cyprian, Arnobius, &c. See Cave, ibid. chap. iii. crucify the lusts of the flesh, and to abandon their impieties and no wonder that the vicious heathens (who were given up to uncleanness) should endeavour to drive such a religion out of the world, which would oblige them to renounce their darling vices. Once more: the dangers and losses, with other tribulations foretold by the preachers of this doctrine, (such as, All that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution,) increased the Gentiles aversion to it. m The first emperor that raised a general persecution against the Christians was Nero, a prince of the most brutish manners; who being either offended with the narrowness of the streets of the city of Rome, or ambitious of being the author of more stately buildings, caused it to be burnt, about thirty years after Christ's death, and then laid it on the Christians; who, though innocent, were yet most barbarously persecuted; many being clothed in the skins of wild beasts, and as such torn in pieces by dogs; others crucified, and burnt alive; and that in a sportful manner, to give light in the night time", instead of torches. Under this persecution, St. Peter was crucified, and St. Paul beheaded". Seventh remark. In the history of the first pub lishing of the Gospel, there is mention made of prophets such were Judas and Silas', and such a one, probably, was Ananias, who baptized St. Paul'. These prophets seem to be also such, who are called spiritual, where the terms are both joined together; If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual. These were ordained for the present occasion, immediately by God himself, they being inspired in Rom. i. 24. 12 Tim. iii. 12. n Tacitus, An. 1. xv. c. 44. Euseb. Hist. 1. ii. c. 25. Sulpitius, sub An. 68. Idem ibid. P Dodwell de Jure, c. iii. Hammond in Luke i. 11. and in 1 Cor. xii. As also Acts xi. 27. and xiii. 1. q Acts xv. 32. Acts ix. STIVEνμATINO. Gal. vi. 1. and 1 Cor. xiv. 37. an extraordinary manner with the spiritual gifts, not only of foretelling things to come, but (which in the New Testament is the proper notion of prophesying) of being interpreters; for the interpreting the types and prophecies in the Old Testament that relate to Christ, (as Aaron is said to be a prophet, or interpreter to Moses",) thereby to assist the apostles in making converts to Christianity, and to confirm the disciples in the faith; and, for the present, to perform the duties of public ministry in the church, to speak unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort, as St. Paul explains the action of him that prophesieth, whereby the present government of the church was a sort of theocracy, or under the immediate direction of the divine Spirit; but, as the numbers of Christians increased, the apostles, inspired by the same Spirit, ordained elders, or bishops and presbyters, in the cities where they had preached the Gospel". Those extraordinary prophets or teachers aforementioned (who were as so many secondary apostles) were most necessary and useful in the beginning of Christianity, before the settlement of particular churches, and the government thereof, by their proper elders and pastors; and this was after the example of the ancient church of the Jews; in which the ordinary ministerial offices, both of sacrificing and instructing, were proper to the tribe of Levi, and the priestly family; the priest's lips were to keep knowledge, and the people were to seek the t Bishop Stillingfleet's Sermons, vol. ii. in Matt. vii. 15, 16. who quotes St. Chrysostom in 1 Cor. Hom. 36. that pos is the same with Epμeverns; and also other Greek authors, as Themistius, Orat. 1. calls an interpreter of Aristotle, eоT AgisоTEλous. He also observes, that the reason why the name of prophecy came to be restrained to the prediction of things to come was, because future events lying most out of the reach of men's knowledge, the foretelling of those was looked upon as the greatest evidence of divine inspiration. u Exod. vii. 1. 1 Cor. xiv. 3. w As Acts xiv. 21, 23. |