communion with this infinite Being of holiness and love.“ Although truth and falsehood are here mingled, yet we perceive from it how extraordinary and new the knowledge of God which Christianity communicated to men, and its operation on humanity, appeared to the mind of a heathen deeply impressed by the power of the gospel; how he, when he compared the world to which Christianity had transported him, with the world in which he had lived before, which was all around him, and presented itself to his view in antiquity, could not believe in the possibility of any common bond between these two worlds.

We learn from these examples how easily a partial apprehension of truth, combined with deep religious feeling, leads into error; how easily, when a revolution takes place in deeply-seated feelings, error mingles with truth. And when we compare these two men, who resembled one another in arden love and violent antipathy, and both deeply penetrated by Christianity, we perceive how easily it happens that those persons who, if they look into the recesses of each other's hearts, would embrace one another as brethren, conduct themselves as strangers, and even as enemies, because their dispositions are manifested only through the enigmatical medium of language ancl the imperfect vehicle of notions.

CHAPTER III.

THE RELATION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH TO THE HEATHEN WORLD.

A RELIGION destined to satisfy the constant and everabiding religious wants of human nature, and hence suited for men under every variety of circumstances, and elevated above all earthly forms of mental culture; the idea of such a religion of humanity was totally unknown to antiquity. And though to every one who knows what religion is, and who is aware that no other power can compensate for its absence, it must be evident that the religious sentiment, in itself, must be the same in the learned and the unlearned, the

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civilized and the uncivilized; still, since either the essential in religion is confounded with what is only deducible from it, or something quite different is substituted in the place of religion, the error is ever renewed, that religion must be different according to the various stages of mental culture.

Celsus, the opponent of Christianity, says: "He must be void of understanding who can believe that Greeks and barbarians, in Asia, Europe, and Libya, all nations to the ends of the earth, can unite in the reception of one and the same religious doctrine." All the ancient religions were national and state religions, and this was especially the case with the Romans, among whom the political point of view predominated in everything, not excepting religion. The public apostacy of citizens from the state religion, and the introduction of a foreign religion, or a new one not legalized by the state (religio illicita), appeared as an act of high treason. In this light was regarded the conversion of Roman citizens or subjects to Christianity. "Your religion is illegal" (non licet esse vos), was the reproach commonly cast on Christians, without referring to the contents of their religion; to this was added the striking difference between Christianity and all that had hitherto been denominated religion. Thus it was said to Christians, "While all other religions are as so many sanctuaries for distinct nations handed down from a venerable antiquity, on the contrary, your religion existed from the first with disturbance; it was a revolt against the religion of the Hebrews, which was venerable for its antiquity, though blameworthy for its intolerance; that was its origin, and now it threatens to overturn everywhere the established sanctuaries, and the order of things confirmed by sacred customs and usages. Only see how your religion is distinguished from everything which has hitherto received the name; no temple, no altar, no image, no sacrifice! How can such a religion, which presents nothing for the senses, suit men living in a world of sense, and though a purely spiritual religion may be adapted for a few philosophers, how can it be so for the rude, unreasoning people?" The positivism which was zealous for what was established, and the prejudice in favour of ancient tradition which condemned everything new from the first as false, were opposed to the power which threatened to unhinge the whole ancient world. Accusations and reasons such as in later times have been urged by the

D

Romish Church against Protestantism, were then brought forward from the stand-point of heathenism against Christianity. The multitude of sects opposed to one another which had arisen from the fermentation caused by Christianity in the human mind was adduced as a proof, that mankind, having once lost their respect for ancient tradition, would become a prey to the caprice of contending opinions, and on this the hope was founded that Christianity would perish in the warfare of opinion, and Christians themselves destroy one another. And yet the multitude of various heresies at this time bears witness to the power with which Christianity, condescending, as it did, to the lowest, and rising to the highest, could attract minds of the most different structure, each in its own way; for it was because men of the most opposite stand-points could not withstand the Attractive power of Christianity, and yet were too much entangled in their respective stand-points to surrender themselves without reserve to the Divine, that this multitude of heresies arose. Clement of Alexandria, in order to remove this stigma, appeals to what our Lord himself had prophetically uttered, in his parable of the wheat and the tares, and alleges as the general cause, that everywhere the bad follows the good; according to the significant old German proverb, 'Wherever God has a temple, the devil builds a chapel near it;' or as Agricola expresses it a little differently in his collection of German proverbs, Wherever our Lord God builds a church, the devil sets up an ale-house.' He also quotes the words ascribed to our Lord by an ancient tradition, in which he enjoins his disciples to be skilful money-changers, and learn to distinguish between genuine and base coin. "On account of heresies," he says,* * 66 men must submit to

* Επαποδυτέον ἄρα τῷ πόνῳ τῆς εὑρέσεως διὰ τὰς αἱρέσεις, ἀλλ' οὐ τέλεον ἀποστατέον· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπώσας παρακειμένης, τῆς μὲν αληθοῦς καὶ ὡρίμου, τῆς δὲ ἐκ κηροῦ ὡς ὅτι μάλιστα ἐμφεροῦς πεποιημένης, διὰ τὴν ὁμοιότητα ἀμφοῖν αφεκτέον· διακριτέον δὲ ὁμοῦ τε τῇ καταληπτικῇ θεωρίᾳ, καὶ τῷ κυριωτάτῳ λογισμῷ το ἀληθὲς ἀπὸ του φαινομένου. Καὶ ὥσπερ ὁδοῦ μιᾶς μὲν τῆς βασιλικῆς τυγχανουσης, πολλῶν δὲ καὶ ἄλλων, τῶν μὲν ἐπί τινα κρημνὸν, τῶν δὲ ἐπὶ ποταμὸν ῥοώδη ἢ θαλασσαν ἀγχιβαθῆ φερουσῶν, οὐκ ἄν τις ὀκνήσαι διὰ τὴν διαφωνίαν ὁδεῦσαι, χρήσαιτο δ ̓ ἂν τῇ ἀκινδύνῳ καὶ βασιλικῇ καὶ λεωφορῳ· οὕτως ἄλλα ἄλλων περὶ ἀληθείας λεγόντων, οὐκ ἀποστατέον, ἐπιμελέστερον δὲ θηρατέον τὴν ἀκριβεστάτην περὶ αὐτῆς γνῶσιν.— Clem. Alexand. Strom. vii. 754. (Pott. 888.)

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the labour of investigating, but not altogether reject Christianity; for if natural and ripe fruit and also an imitation of it in wax lie side by side, we must not on account of the resemblance abstain from both kinds of fruit, but must seek to distinguish the real from the apparent by trial. And if there is one high-road, but many other bye-paths, of which one may lead to a precipice, another to a rapid stream, or to the deep sea, no one on account of this diversity will be afraid to travel, but every one will make use of the safe high-road; so we must not desert the truth, because one says this, and another that, respecting it, but must be so much the more careful in gaining the exact knowledge of it." Thus he requires all to examine the Scriptures for themselves, in order to learn the true doctrine of Christ. The manner also in which Christianity, which, though threatened to be torn in pieces by these manifold contrarieties, was able in the issue to overcome them all, and to make them serve for the glorification of the truth which was developed with greater clearness and fulness than ever, was a proof of the divine power that dwelt in this religion; and the result of this conflict may serve to strengthen faith in reference to the renewal of it in all future ages.

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As Christianity brought into consciousness the same image of God in all men, set free the development of humanity from the narrow boundaries of the state, subordinating all to the same level, and destroyed the ancient stand-point of state religion, so also ideas of religious freedom and the rights of conscience, which were unknown to the ancient world, were first diffused abroad by Christianity. The Christian apologists were the first who testified of these new ideas brought to light by Christianity. It is," says Tertullian to the Roman Proconsul Scapula, one of the rights of man, and belongs to the natural freedom of every one, to worship according to his convictions, and the religion of one can neither injure nor profit others. But it is not religion to employ force in religion; for religion must be voluntary, and received without compulsion. Sacrifices are desired only from free hearts. If you force us to sacrifice you will give nothing to your gods, for they will not desire any forced sacrifices."

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There were magistrates or persons in authority who were themselves free from fanatical hatred of the Christians, and

unwillingly put in execution the laws against them. They even told the Christians that they might perform the outward ceremonies of the state religion as the laws required, but assuredly might believe in their hearts what they liked; that the law only commanded the outward act, which in itself was a matter of indifference. We recognize in such suggestions a characteristic of the stand-point of a state religion degrading to a mere compulsory mechanism the most solemn act, which ought to be only an expression of free individual conviction. This stand-point was completely foreign to Christians. The words of our Saviour were deeply impressed on their hearts which were addressed to them before their baptism, and often quoted by their bishops in their public discourses: Whoso shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father in heaven; but whoso denieth me before men, him will I deny before my Father in heaven." Many Roman magistrates in the provinces, to whom gain was a greater object than the proper discharge of their office, offered for a certain sum of money to grant individual Christians a certificate (libellum) that they had performed the heathen religious ceremonies according to the law, and thus to free them from any further molestation; but to accept toleration on these terms was repudiated by the church as a denial of the faith.

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But the Roman statesmen desired only a blind obedience; they knew not how to understand the enthusiasm with which the Christians would rather surrender their earthly life than do anything against their consciences; nor could they respect the rights of that which in its nature must be the freest thing in man the religious convictions of the individual. In this firmness of the Christians they saw nothing but blind fanaticism, criminal disobedience, and self-will. Indeed, in an age enervated by despotism, men who met death and excruciating tortures with composure, rather than utter a few words, or perform some ceremonies, must have appeared very strange and suspicious. Such hardihood of soul," it might be said, "suited the heroic times of the ancient republic, but not this age of peace and refined sensibility."

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In their conduct towards the government and the laws, the Christians distinguished themselves in contrast with the immoral practices which had gained ground in the times of