Hebrews); he was bound to give himself continually to the new life, and to regret all that was dead; since both soul and body were destined to be living, pure and sanctified as the organ of a holy, all-penetrating higher life. Thus Christians regarded the remains of their brethren with peculiar love and care, as the organs formerly animated by a sanctified soul, temples of the Holy Spirit, which would hereafter be again. animated as the glorified organs of glorified souls.

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The fanaticism of the heathen wished to deprive the Christians of the precious remains of their martyrs, as they said at the martyrdom of Polycarp, when they hesitated to give his ashes to his friends, lest they should leave the crucified One, and worship him instead.' When the Christians were told of this, they replied, that the heathen "know not that we can never forsake Christ, who suffered for the salvation of those who are saved in all the world, nor can we reverence any other; for we adore him, being the Son of God; but the martyrs we worthily love on account of their unconquerable obedience to their own king and teacher, of whom may we be joint-partakers and fellow-disciples." The church said further, in their account of his martyrdom: “At last, taking his bones, more valued than precious stones, and esteemed above gold, we deposited them in a suitable place. There, if possible, assembling in joy and gladness, the Lord will grant us to celebrate the birth-day of his martyrdom, in memory of those who have endured past conflicts, and as an exercise and preparation for those that are to come after them."

We see, from these examples, how far they were at that time from over-valuing the vessels of divine grace. But such an over-valuation is an error into which man easily falls. He easily transfers the honour which is due to the Lord alone to the frail vessel which the Lord has made use of for his own glory. We have already noticed the dangers that threatened from this quarter. Tertullian felt himself obliged to protest against the excessive veneration of confessors and martyrs which was gaining ground in his times, when some who had been excommunicated for their vicious practices set too great a value on the absolution granted by the confessors, to whom they resorted in the mines or the prisons. Against the claims of such confessors he says: "Who is there without sin, as long as he lives on earth and in the flesh? Whoever is a martyr,

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as long as he dwells on earth, has to beg for the denarius (Matt. xx. 2), is answerable to him who requires interest for the talents committed to him, and needs the physician. But supposing that the sword is already waving over his head, that he is surrounded by the flames, that he is already safe in the possession of martyrdom, who can authorize a man to give what belongs to God alone? It will be enough for a martyr to be purified from his own sin. It is ingratitude or pride, to wish to extend to others what he cannot succeed in obtaining for himself. Who is there, excepting the Son of God, who has paid another's death by his own? For in the very time of his passion he liberated the malefactor. For this very purpose he came, that being free from sin and perfectly holy, he might die for sinners. Hence thou, who wouldst imitate him in forgiving sins, suffer for me, if thou hast not sinned thyself. But if thou art a sinner, how can the oil in thy lamp suffice for me and for thyself too?"

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PART II.

CHRISTIAN LIFE WHEN CHRISTIANITY HAD GAINED THE ASCENDENCY IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

CHAPTER I.

VARIOUS METHODS OF CONVERSION FROM HEATHENISM TO CHRISTIANITY.

WE see in this period a great alteration in the relation of the Church to the State. The alteration consisted in the fact, that the Church, which had been hitherto oppressed, or at the utmost tolerated, became outwardly predominant; its former depressed condition was exchanged for worldly splendour, and thus multitudes were induced to enter it, for whom the internal claims of Christianity had no attraction. Although in its rise, when the Church conflicted with the external power of heathenism, in consequence of the fountain of selfdeception lying in man's nature, there were not wanting merely. apparent conversions; yet now, when the Church was surrounded with outward splendour, the temptations were much greater to substitute a merely outward profession for truly being in Christ." And the great alteration of which we are speaking, arose, first of all, from the adhesion given to Christianity by the rulers of the Roman Empire, which was of such a kind that, though they believed themselves to be really Christians from conviction, and laboured with sincere zeal for the spread of the Christian Church, and its outward aggrandizement, yet their internal disposition was by no means penetrated by Christianity. Often by this false zeal, unsupported by a true Christian disposition, and unaccompanied by sound knowledge, they did far more injury to

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CONSTANTINES PROFESSION OF CHRISTIANITY.

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the Christian Church, which they wished to serve, than they could have done by direct hostility.

The first of the emperors who openly professed Christianity, Constantine, especially in the first years of his reign, owing. to a certain eclecticism in religion, which was for him the transition-point to Christianity, and to the influence of heathen Platonists and Christian bishops of a more moderate and gentle disposition, and also from general political considerations, was very far from wishing to suppress heathenism by force, to persecute its adherents, and to spread Christianity by compulsory means. Thus when, after the victory over Licinius, he became sole ruler of the empire, in a proclamation addressed to the oriental provinces, now first under his control, he expressed the principles of a wise toleration in such a manner, that indicated far more of the spirit of Christianity than could have been shown by any zeal for proselytizing; for here we recognise what we noticed in a former part of this work, that by Christianity the ideas of liberty of conscience, and of the universal rights of man, were first brought to light, as well as the consciousness of the right method of imbuing men's minds with Christianity. The following was his language: Let those in error equally enjoy peace and rest with the faithful, for the improving influence of mutual intercourse may lead men into the right way. Let no one molest his neighbour; let each one act according to his inclination. Whoever has right convictions must know that they alone will live in holiness and purity whom Thou thyself dost call to find rest in thy holy laws. But those who keep at a distance from them, may, if they please, retain the temples of falsehood. We have the glorious abode of truth, which Thou hast given us to satisfy the cravings of our nature. We wish for them that, in communion of mind with us, they may participate our joy."

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But he who uttered these beautiful sentiments was very far from always adhering to them in his conduct, although he employed no coercive methods of conversion. Though the heathen were not, as in later times, exposed to many acts of oppression, nor obstructed in the exercise of their worship, yet the manifold outward advantages and privileges which flowed to the Christians of all classes from the time of Constantine's accession, and the favour of the authorities, which

could often be gained in this way, became a strong motive to join the Christian Church with many to whom religion was a matter of indifference, or to whom the objects of earth were far more important than those of heaven. It became the chief interest of the persons in power, to obtain numerous adherents to the religion which they themselves professed, and for such an object, temporal allurements, favours, honours, and gifts were sufficient. Here we find no difference between the Christian emperors Constantine and Constantius and the heathen emperor Julian. It was natural, as in similar circumstances it will always be easy, that there should be many, who, according to the expression of a Christian emperor, Jovian, serve not God, but the imperial purple; who are not drawn by the heavenly Father, who are not impelled by heartfelt necessity to confess the Lord, like those of whom it is said in John ii. 24: "Jesus did not commit himself unto them;" and those to whom the Lord, rebuking their perverted earthly mind, said, "Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that which endureth to life eternal." These very words of the Lord are applied by Augustin to such persons, when he says: * " How many seek Jesus only to receive temporal benefits! One man has a lawsuit, and seeks the interference of the clergy; another is oppressed by a more powerful neighbour, and flees to the Church; a third seeks for an advocate with a person over whom he has little influence; one in one way, and one in another. The Church is daily filled with such. Jesus is scarcely sought for his own sake." Many a one, as the same writer observes, became a nominal Christian, in order to win a powerful patron, to be able to contract a desirable marriage, to escape a threatening persecution, or to hold, as a Christian, a lucrative clerical office. Such people Augustin had in his eye, when in one of his sermons he speaks of the hypocrisy of those who, by assuming the Christian name, wish to please men rather than God. This hypocrisy was either of a grosser or more refined kind:

* Quam multi non quærunt Jesum, nisi ut illis faciat bene secundum tempus. Alius negotium habet, quærit intercessionem clericorum: alius premitur a potentiore, fugit ad ecclesiam; alius pro se vult interveniri apud quem parum valet; ille sic, ille sie; impletur quotidie talibus ecclesia. Vix quæritur Jesus propter Jesum. August. in Joh. Evang. Tract. 25, § 10.