DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH. - Earlychurch .uk

Tf:!E ENEMIES OF THE FAITH,jyou freedom and a noble name, and you. love ·them.Your Christian ancestors won for you a still greaterfreedom and a still nobler name. Will you not lovethem too ? You read how the arrows came cloudingthe air, and the horsemen came rushing headlong tocrush the little army of English who stood all firmand undaunted, and who, though few, said that they:did not ask for reinforcements, they were enough to,conquer, and they were enough to die. They stood intheir ranks, they -fell bravely, they triumphed nobly,and we are proud 9f them. But oh ! be proud alsoof that army which, is fighting still, and to which youyonrself belong, "who through faith subdued kingdoms . . . . waxed valiant in fight, and turned toflight the armies of the aliens." 1 Remember they·suffered, and so you have not to suffer ; they laboured,and you have entered into their labours; you arefighting the same battle and under the same bam:.er;they have won the victory, and you must win th'.!victory in the same way. Will it not be well foryou then to inquire into their history, so that you mayl arn who were their enemies, and what were their ·weapons, and where were their battlefields, and whythey fought, and how they fought, and how in God'sstrength they won the victory? And now the subject of this book has been pretty clearly stated. Itis to tell you the story of the battles of the ChristianChurch, and the champions of the Christian faith,' ·i11 early times. For the most part we shall confineourselves to the second and third centuries A.D.1Hebrews x\. 33, 34.B 2

4DEFE:SDERS OF THE FAITH.Occasionally there will be something to say abciutthe first century, and once or twice we shall have togo a little way into the fourth; but for the most partwe shall be concerned only with the time extendingfrom 100 A.D. to 300 A.D.Now there are two things specially to notice aboutthis period. The first is, the Apostles were then a:11dead, and those who succeeded them had not the sameoutward tokens of God's presence. TJote preachers ofthe Gospel were not able, generally at least, to healthe bodies of men, and so their task was in somerespects far more difficult, and a hearing was not soeasily obtained by them. The second thing to notice is, that all this while the rulers of the state wereheathen, and therefore more or less opposed toChristianity. Constantine was the first Christianemperor, and he did not come into his power till theyear 31 2 A.D. So you see, during this period, on theone hand, some of the help God had hitherto giventhe Church was taken away, and on the other, shehad difficulties to contend against which were after.wards removed. This was the time of the hardeststruggle of the Christian Church ; this was the timealso when her most brilliant victories were gained ;this was the time, it is not too much to say, the battleof The Faith was won.And now to proceed to our subject. When thelast surviving Apostle died, only a beginning of thegreat work which Christ had entrusted to His Churchhad been made, At the end of the first century, theChristians were only a feeble folk. The world wasjust beginning to know about them. So far as they

THE ENEMIES OF THE FAITH 5.vere known, they were hated much, but despisedmore. The Roman Empire was already feeling jealousabout them, as people who might one day be troublesome ; it was soon about to try to put them down.As we may say, the two armies-the army for Christand the army against Him-were then being put inarray, army against army. The one army was like "twolittle flocks of kids," 1 but the other filled the wholeearth. If you looked on the one side you saw nobodyof any importance; at the present day we scarcelyknow more than half a dozen of their names. Wemay safely say that there were very few of noble birth,very few who were wise with worldly wisdom, veryfew indeed who had, as far as men could see, anyqualifications for the task of overcoming the world.They belonged mostly to the most despised nation ofthe world, and that nation had cast them out of herbosom. The Jews, persecuted by all others, werethemselves the fiercest persecutors of the Christians.And then, on the other side, what was there ?There was the whole world ; and a world unitedunder one man, who ruled it according to his ownwill and pleasure. Such was his power, such thereverence he received, that more than human honourswere paid him ; even whilst living he was worshippedas a god.Now, this concentration of power under one headadded greatly to the difficulties of the Church. Othergreat movements have, in their infancy and weakness,profited greatly by the fact that sovereignty was shared1 1Kings xx. 27.

-6DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH.by many kingdoms, commonly rivals, and jealous ofone another. Political necessities have ·often produced the strangest combinations, and the mostunexpected results. At the worst of times, theauthority of a State could not extend beyond its ownlimits; and hence those persecuted in one city wouldflee into another. But the Church owed its victoryto ho such external c ircumstances; in those earlytimes there was but one State and one ruler of it.The law said, "The Christians ought not to be" ;and the magistrates, when required, had always toenforce the law. And when the emperor said, as hesometimes did by a special edict, Put that law intoforce; there was then no one to be their defender, noland to which they could fly for refuge, no politicalcombinations which could stay the persecuting hand.And thus the Christians, without any earthly defender,had to contend against the whole force of the Law;they had to withst,md the united force of the greatRoman Empire with its Emperor-god.But this was not all ; all the wise men of theworld were against them. The philosophers of thatday were, for the most part, men without religion andwithout mora1ity. They were too wise to believe inthe old heathen gods, but they were not wise enoughto attain to the knowledge of the one true God.They were able, some of them, to lay down excellentrules of life, but few thought it necessary to put theminto practice. They were proud and -self-sufficient,and looked down with contempt upon the unlearnedand ignorant common people. The Christians were,for the most part, unlearned and uneducated; and

THE ENEMIES OF THE FAITH.7yet, notwithstanding their deficiencies in philosophictraining and intellectual qualifications, they dared tospeak authoritatively on matters concerning whicltthe wisest teachers professed their ignorance. Thephilosophers had pulled down many religions in theirtime ; they were foes to all superstitions, and nowthey banded together to pull down what they considered to be the last and worst of all. And thusthe leaders of Thought joined the rulers of the Statein the battle against the Christian name. The forceof Reason was added to the force of Law.To these two a more popular and widely-reachingforce was added-the force of Interest. It is marvellous to see how closely intertwined were theheathen religion and all that concerned the outerlife of a man and the administration of the State. Thereligion of a inan had little or nothing to do with histhoughts or ·affections, and it exercised little or 110influence over his morals ; but it· entered ·into everyrelation and action of his fal).lily and public life.When you were born, when you were married, andwhen you died, gods had to be propitiated, lest theyshould do you harm, and in order that they mightdo you good. At the corners of the streets, and atthe doors of the houses, in the halls, and in the bed,chambers, at every turn one might say, images metyour eye. There was no occupation over whichsome god did not preside, no public festival withoutits religious sacrifices, no act of business without itsidolatrous ceremonies. It followed, of course, thatthere were thousands of people who got their livingfrom the idolatrous worship ; and therefore thousands

8l EFENDERS OF THE FAITH.of people who· were most anxious that the oldheathen customs should be kept up. Very early wesee the force of interest exerted against Christianity."By this craft we have our wealth," 1 said Demetriusto the makers of silver shrines for Diana. By Paul'spreaching, " this our craft is in danger to be setat nought." 2 The fear of such a result was sufficient,as we know; forthwith the craftsmen stirred up thepeople. Similarly, Pliny (A.D. 100 circa), Governorof Bithynia, noticed that in his province therewas no demand for the sacrificial victims ; inconsequence, he ordered an inquiry, and ultimately a persecution. It was of direct importanceto the Government that the temples should be wellattended; when they were deserted the State revenues declined. 3 By the advance of Christianity, thepriests Jost their profits and their influence, thearmies their soldiers, the lawyers their clients,· thetaverns their customers, and the sculptors andpainters their patrons. 4 All the artists and craftsmenderived the better part of their gains from the requirements of the heathen religion. And besides thetemples and their gods there were also the showsand the games. The Christians could not join inthe idolatry of the one, they dared not come incontact with the pollutions of the other. The hangerson at the shows were only Jess numerous and variousthan those at the temples; and thus we see the contingent to the army against Christ, collected under31 Acts xix. 25. lb. xix. 27.Teri. Apo!. c. 42.' Cf. for this Blunt's 'Three Centuries,' pp. 144, 145.

THE ENEMIES OF THE FAITI'f the banner of Interest, was very large. With intensebitterness all these men banded themselves togetheragainst a religion, which deprived them not only ofthe gods which they worshipped but of the foodwhich they ate. And thus to the force of Law andReason was added the force of Interi'St.To these three forces, strong as they were, yet another, perhaps the strongest of all, was added-theforce of Superstition.The philosophers might have sneered to their heart'scontent; those who earned a livelihood from idolatryor the public games might have grumbled; but theState and the powers of the law would have beenindifferent ; had it not been that the common peoplerose with one voice and said, "Away with these fellowsfrom the earth, for it is not meet that they shouldlive." In most of the persecutions of the 2nd century,it was the people, not the State authorities, which tookthe initiative. No doubt interested agitators werebehind the scenes, but the popular fury was, beyondall, the persecuting force. The order of proceedingscommonly was, first, popular risings against theChristians, and then, proceedings against them according to the forms of law. Very often the Emperorand the provincial governors were their best friends.Trajan discouraged anonymous informations.I Hadrian said the Christians were not to be arrested onmere popular clamour. 2 Antoninus Pius stronglydisapproved of the violent proceedings ,f the mob. 2Aurelius says the Christians must be punished with1 '.frajan's Letter to Pliny.,. Cf. Neander 'History of the Church,' pp. 140, 143,

10DEFENDERS QF THl!: FAITH.divers tortures yet so that justice is mingled. 1 Thegovernors also sometimes did not fear the people, 2and contrived means of dismissing the Christiansunpunished.Certainly of all the enemies of theChurch the people were the most bitter and violent.Tertullian 3 tells us that none more frequently thanthe rabble demanded the lives of the Christians." How. often," he says, "does the hostile mob, payingno regard to you (i.e. the authorities), take the lawinto its own hand, and assail us with stones andflames!"And the reason of this appears to be quite plain.It was their Superstition which 'urged the people on.We must remember that the heathen religion was anelaborate plan for securing national prosperity. Thesacrifices were bribes to secure the favour of the gods,or rather, perhaps, magic spells to compel them toact according to the sacrificer's wish. 4 If everythingwas done properly, without a mistake in the prayerof consecration, or the occurrence of a sight or soundof ill omen at the time of sacrificing, or a defect inthe entrails of the victim, then the wished-for resultwas sure to be secured, the god was compelled to bepropitious. Of course it followed that times ofdifficulty, danger, or calamity, were times for specialvows and sacrifices. Generals uttered vows just before joinin6 battle with the enemy. A pestilencefilled the temples with devout worshippers. The idea' Cf. Neander, 'History of the Church;; p. 149. Tert. ad Scapulam, c. 4 Apo!. c. 37. Dollinger's 'Jew and Gentile,' p. 75.1 Dollmger's 'Jew and Gentile,' p. 77.

THE ENEMIES OF THE FAITH.IIin,.many minds, at such a time, was, the gods, oneor all, are angry because we have neglected them ;if we only sacrifice largely enough, prosperity willreturn. The expense incurred by the State onthese sacrifices for national prosperity was yerygreat. Sometimes it was so difficult to get sacri.fices that representations in bread or wax tookthe place of the animals themselves. As many asthree hundred bulls were offered in one sacrificeto one god. At the death of Tiberius and atCaligula's accession to the throne, upwards of160,000 victims weresacrificed. Augustus andMarcus Aurelius offered so many beasts, that it wassaid all oxen and calves hoped that the emperorsmight never return from their journeys or campaigns,as otherwise they would be infallibly lost. 1It so happened that in the 2nd and 3rd centuriesthere was a constant succession of calamities in theState. There were "famines, and pestilences, andearthquakes." "The gods are angry" was the generalcry. " These calamities have fallen upon us becausetheir shrines are neglected; we must propitiate themwith sacrifices." They did so. But there were manygaps in the line of worshippers ; the Christians absented themselves. . By them were addressed nosupplications, by them were offered no gifts of expiation to the angry gods. Then the popular anger burstforth in uncontrollable fury. "It is because of thoseimpious Christians," they said, " that we are sufferingall these troubles. Away with them to the lion."1For all this see Dollinger's 'Jew and Gentile,' p. So.

12DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH,At such times the Christians suffered without trial. at11l. Although the magistrates might scoff at popularsuperstition, they quailed before the popular wrath.They might expostulate, but, when they saw that theyprevailed nothing and that rather a tumult was made,they let the people have their own way. They put theexisting law in force against men for whom they carednothing, and who in their opinion deserved punishment for being so obstinate and troublesome.And thus we see that these four forces, Law, Reason,Interest, and Superstition, were all combined againstthe disciples of Christ. The learned few and thesuperstitious many, the law administrators and thelawless mob, those who reckoned the heathen religionto be the great support of the State power and thosewho knew that it gave them support and subsistence,the priests anrl philosophers, the kings and people, allhated the name of Christ, and all at times combinedtogether to give His Church a crushing blow. Theheathen raged, the people imagined a vain thing; "thekings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gatheredtogether against the Lord and against His Christ."And what was the result ? He that dwelleth inheaven laughed them to scorn ; the Lord had themin derision. He said, "I have set my King on myholy hill of Zion." He fulfilled His p1omise, "Askof me and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thineinheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth forThy possession."

EPOCHS IN THE STRUGGLE,13CHAPTER II.EPOCHS IN THE STRUGGLE.IN the last chapter a description was given of theenemies against which the early Christians had to fight.This chapter is intended to describe, in a series ofseparate pictures, various epochs in the struggle.PICTURE I.A few men and women are assembled in an upperroom in a house at Jerusalem. The number of theirnames is abou"t one hundred and twenty. TheirLord and Master has just been taken up from theminto heaven. He has left them His charge, andit is this: "All power is given unto me in heaven ·and in earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciplesof all the nations, baptizing them into the name ofthe Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:teaching them to observe all things whatsoever Icommanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway,even unto the end of the world. Amen." 1According to the instructions given, they aretarrying in the city of Jerusalem for the promise ofthe Father of which Jesus had told them. They1Ma{t. xxviii. 18, 19,2:J,

I4DEFENDERS OF THE FAl11i.continue in prayer and supplication, and they arewaiting for the signal to go forth and conquer theworld.PICTURE II.The time of waiting is over, and the day of workand conflict has begun. The Day of Pentecost isrunning its course. The promise has been fulfilled," I will pour out . my Spirit upon all flesh." TheChurch fights its first battle, and wins its first victory." The same day theie are added unto them aboutthree thousand souls."PICTURE Ill.Now comes a time when the struggle widens anddeepens.At first the battle-ground is Jerusalem, and theChurch's chief enemy the Jews. Then persecutiondisperses Christ's solrliers into many· different countries. Unlike the armies of tht: World, dispersionincreases the power of the army of the Cross. Onesingle soldier of Christ is able to seize and· hold aposition for his Lord. Still hatred and oppositionfollow. them wherever they go. The Jews will notbelieve, and stir up the Gentiles. The Gentiles complain that these men are turning the world upsidedown. Men can no longer ignore the infant Church.To th period of insignificance succeeds one of everincreasing hatred.Forty years pass away. The testimony of tpe Jewsnow is, ." This sect is everyw here spoken. against." 11Acts xxviii.22.

15EPOCHS IN THE; STRUGGLE.And as for the Gentiles, the Emperor Nero, havingset fire to Rome, wants a scapegoat on which to layhis own crimes, and he finds the Christians ready to'his hand. Now comes ·the first great sowing of theseed-blood of the · Christians. They are crucified.They are sewn up in the skins of wild beasts andthrown to the dogs. Their garments are smearedwith pitch, and they are set on fire to light up thepublic gardens. The people think they suffer unjustly; they believe them to be guiltless of the crimeascribed to them ; but after all they are guilty ofhatred of the human r ce, and they are odious iortheir crimes. 1PICTURE IV.Still as yet the Roman Government hardly deemsthe Christians worthy of its notice, and has, certainly,not the remotest conception what they are aiming at.2A jealous tyrant, Domitian, is on the throne, and hehears the Christians are setting up a kingdom. He·inquires who is to be the king. He is told aboutDavid and David's throne, and about Christ the ·sonof David. Then he seizes the grandsons of Judas,called the brother of our Lord; he thinks they mustbe David's heirs an& Christ's heirs. They are broughtbefore him to be examined

struggle deepens and widens - Picture IV. The contempt of the world - Picture _v. The rapid increase-Picture VI. The active opposition-Pic ture vu. The extension of the kingdom-Picture VIII. The pitched battle with the State-Picture IX. The last bitter struggle-Picture x. The triumph. CHAPTER III. THE DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH Page 27