lntrodu&i. The Confiancie of f Martyrs: Chap. i; r . S t warrant from the Councel at Terfatem to apprehend and imprifon all feria of people+ addiftcd to Chriftianity, but was a principal altor in the Martyrdom of St. Stephen: And yet he (neglecting the preferment he was like to come to by this his forward- nefs)was content upon a fudden to expofe himfelf to all dangers anddifgrace,towhip- pings, perils by Sea and Land, &c. and to embraée this, as the true Religion. And if any fay, he-aimedat honour and therm among Chriftians, his praftice films the contrary,; for when the menof Laleonia would have facrificed to him and Burnie ; with great zeal he oppofed it; they rent their clothes and ran in amongfii them, and told them, they were men like themfelves, fo far were they fromvain- glory. Infomuch as Porph}rins Paid of him, that it was great pity, that fo great a Scholar,Hier. and fo near to preferment, fhould have been converted to Chriftianity. The like niay be faid of Origen after him, the fairert for prefertent of any in his time, who being Scholar to Ammonius, and preferred by,him before Plotinsu ( afterward loaded with honóurs in theCommon-wealth) yet he was content to leave all, and to betake him- fell to a poor Catechifts place in Alexandria, where he was every itrinute in danger of his life. Never in anyother Religion appeared the like examples Pf life and man- ners, as in tholeof the Chriftian Religion, as-of farting,ab`linence, con:tnence,juaice, repentance, fortitude, and other holy verrues ; infomuch as Plotinus (an ünpartial witneIs) admiring their fortitudes, faid of them, SaliChriftiani mortiseóntemptores, Chriliansare the only defpifers of death. 17. It was an Objection of the Jews we know, that our Saviour wrought his Mi- Ap;nA,rdg; racles, malis artil'U', that he tuft out Devils by Beelzebub. But the Heathen Philof . pher Longinus was of anotherbelief. For, faith he,They fay that your Saviourwrought his Miracles by the skill he learnt in Magick whilehe was in vfgypt,but I hardly be- lieve it. For I reafon thus with my felf; If he were a Magitian, and wrought by in- feriour fpirits, he could not rritcmpharededîis, triumph overthe gods. And wemay reafon thuswith our felves, that if heand his followers wrought this way,they would never have commanded fuch auflerity of manners and life, and forbid all fueh unlawí ful means. But Pure it is, that theChriftians of the Primitive Church were pf fuck innocent life, that Pliny theSecond teftifies to the Emperour Trojan, that there were never more innocent people than they ; and gave him counfel, that if any of them Were accufed for Chriftianity he fhould enquire after them, becaufe it was con. trary to theLaws of the Empire, otherwife, that he fhould forbear to trouble then: if there were noacculer. 78. Thenext general reafon to prove the tr,,.thof Chriftianity is, the conftancie of thole that fuffered for it ; not only of men able, and of ftrength to endure mifery, butof old and feeble men, weak and frail womenand young Children : and that in fo ambitious d manner, as that they conceived theycould attain to no greater honour, than to receive the Crown of Martyrdom in defence of it. As we may fee in the Ro- ryof the woman with the Childe in her arms, thatcroffed theProConfuls horfe ha- ffily, and being asked thereafon, anfwered, left the fhould come too late to fuffer with the other Chriftians, whole nae!es he had in hie Bill tobeput todeath ; fori allo (laid fhe) ain a Chriftian. TertiNianhath anexcellent paliageconcerning thisconftancie of Chriftians : teta-1nÁpef: Lure(faith he) teacheth every man tobe touched with flume or fear for the evil he committeth, and therefore Malefactors delre to hide themfelves, to (huit difcovery, trembling for fear of apprehenfon : Being taken and accufed, they deny the fart, and confers not earl.), though tortured. They lament when they are condemned and rageagainft themfelves, imputing it to the malignity of fate, or their Stars, anc.P renounce thefact, as knowing it to be evil. But Chriftians do not fo, noneof them is ashamed, none of them repenri{th, but in that he was a Chrilian no fnoner, If any man takenotice that he is fo, heglorieth : if he he accufedand interrogated, he confeffeth freely and voluntarily; being condemned-, he is thankful. What e- vil is in all this ? What, is it evil that he bath no shame, fear, denial, re- pentance, or lamentation what evil is it when the guilty perfon rejoyceth? whole glory is to beoccufed, and wholepuni(lnent is his happincfs, 03c. Ne.v there is no Sect of the Philofophers, but one Edift commanding it ro be left upon pain of death would dd(h it, as it did in the cafe of Iyrrho dnd his fellows : but no 1?dift could, or bath ever filenced this Religion,: No Perrecution, cutter by íì Ka
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