THE PERSECUTIONS UNDER THE ARIAN HERETICS.

twigs of palm-trees, newly cut, with such violence, that they expired under the blows, or by the mortification of the wounds.

HE author of the Arian her- Arian bishop, engaged Sebastian, the genesy was Arius, a native of {eral, to fall upon them with his soldiers, Libya, and a priest of while they were at prayers. On this ocAlexandria, who, in A. D.{casion several fell a sacrifice to the popular 318, began to publish his fury of the troops, and received the crown errors. He was condemn- of martyrdom for no other offence than pered by a council of the Libyan and Egyp-forming necessary acts of piety. The tian bishops, and that sentence was con-modes of cruelty were various, and the firmed by the council of Nice, A. D. 325. degrees different; for they were beaten After the death of Constantine the Great, over their faces till all their features were the Arians found means to ingratiate them-disfigured; then they were lashed with selves into the favor of Constantius, his son and successor in the east; and hence a persecution was raised against the orthodox bishops and clergy. The celebrated Athanasius and other bishops were banished, and their sees filled with Arians. In Egypt and Libya thirty bishops were martyred, and many other Christians cru-indulgence of the most pious thoughts, and elly tormented; and, A. D. 336, George, the Arian bishop of Alexandria, under the authority of the emperor, began a persecution in that city, and its environs, and carried it on with the most infernal severity. He was assisted in his diabolical malice by Catophonius, governor of Egypt; Sebastian, general of the Egyptian forces; Faustinus, the treasurer; and Heraclius, a Roman officer.

Many, whose lives had been spared, were, however, banished to the deserts of Oasis, where they suffered unspeakable hardships; but their exile admitted of their

their sorrows were of a salutary nature.

"Alas, how vain is happiness below,

Man soon or late must have his share of wo;
Slight are his joys, and fleeting as the wind,
His griefs wound home, and leave a sting behind ;
His lot distinguished, from the brute appears,
Less certain by his laughter than his tears;
For ignorance too oft our pleasure breeds,
But sorrow from the reasoning soul proceeds."

SECUNDUS, an orthodox priest, differing in point of doctrine from a prelate of the same name; the bishop, who had imbibed all the heretical opinions of Arianism, determined to put Secundus to death for rejecting opinions which he had thought proper to embrace. Taking one Stephen with him, who was as much an Arian as himself, they sought out Secundus privately, and being unable to make him change his

The persecution now raged in such a manner, that the clergy were driven from Alexandria, their churches were shut, and the severities practised by the Arian heretics were as great as those which had been practised by the pagan idolators. If a man accused of being a Christian, made his escape, then his whole family were massa-opinion, they fell upon and murdered him; cred, and his effects confiscated. when the holy martyr, just before he exThe orthodox Christians, being now de-pired, called upon Christ to receive his prived of all places of public worship in soul, and to forgive his executioners. the city of Alexandria, used to perform their devotions in a desert place, at some distance from it. Assembling for this purpose on a Trinity Sunday, George, the

Not content with the cruelties exercised upon the orthodox Christians in Alexandria, the principal persecutors applied to the emperor for an order to banish them from

Egypt and Libya, and to put their churches, ness, gave out, that Alexander had beinto the possession of the Arians.

They obtained their request, and an order was sent for that purpose to Sebastian, the commander-in-chief of the Roman forces in those provinces.

stowed great commendations on Macedonius for sanctity, and had only given Paul the reputation of eloquence, and a capacity for business: it is true, indeed, he was a master in the art of speaking and persuading; but the sequel of his life and sufferings sufficiently evinced the absurdity of their deeming him a man formed for the

dox triumphed, and Paul was consecrated.

As soon as the general received the order, he signified the emperor's pleasure to all the sub-governors and officers, and commanded that the mandate should be imme-world. But, after some struggle, the orthodiately put into execution. Hence a great number of the clergy were seized, and imprisoned for examination; when it appearing that they adopted the opinions of Athanasius, an order was signed for their banishment into the most wild, uncultivated, and desert places. Thus were the orthodox clergy used, and many of the laity were condemned to the mines, or compelled to work in the quarries. Some few indeed escaped to other countries, and several were weak enough to renounce their faith, in order to avoid the severities of the persecution.

PAUL, the bishop of Constantinople, was a Macedonian by birth, and was designed, from his birth, for a clerical life.

Macedonius being greatly offended at this preference, did his utmost to calumniate the new bishop, and was very severe upon his moral character; but not gaining any belief, he dropped the, charge, and reconciled himself to Paul. This, however, was not the case with Eusebius of Nicomedia, who resumed the accusations under two heads, viz :

1. That he had led a disorderly life before his consecration.

2. That he had been placed in the see of Constantinople without the consent of the bishops of Nicomedia and Heraclea, two metropolitans, who ought to have been. consulted upon that occasion.

To support these accusations, Eusebius procured the emperor's authority, by repre

during the absence of Constantius, the imperial dignity had been insulted. This artifice succeeded, and Paul being deposed, Eusebius was placed in his room.

When Alexander, the predecessor of Paul, was on his deathbed, he was consulted by some of the clergy on the choicesenting, that Paul having been chosen of a successor; when, we are informed, he told them that, "if they were disposed to choose a person of an exemplary life, unexceptionable character, and thoroughly capable of instructing the people, Paul was the man; who, though young, had all the prudence and gravity of more advanced age; but if they had rather have a person of a well-composed appearance, acquainted with worldly affairs, and fit for the conversation of a court, they might then choose Macedonius, who had all the proper qualifications. Macedonius was a deacon in the church of Constantinople, in which office he had spent many years, and gained great experience; and the dying prelate did both him and Paul justice in their different characters. Nevertheless, the Arians, with their accustomed disingenuous

Paul having lost his authority in the east, retired to the territories of Constans, in the west, where he was well received by the orthodox prelates and clergy. At Rome he visited Athanasius, and assisted at a council held there, by Julius, the bishop of that see. Letters being written by this council to the eastern prelates, Paul returned to Constantinople, but was not restored to his bishopric till the death of Eusebius. The Arians, however, constituting Macedonius their bishop, by the title of bishop of Constantinople, a sedition, and a kind of civil war ensued, in which, many lost their lives.

The emperor Constantius, who was thened to issue out an excommunication against at Antioch, hearing of these matters, laid Julius, bishop of Rome; Paul, bishop of the whole blame upon Paul, and ordered Constantinople; Athanasius, bishop of that he should be driven from Constanti- Alexandria; and several other prelates. nople. Hermogenes, the officer, who had received the emperor's order, attempted in vain to put it into execution; for the orthodox Christians rising in defence of Paul, Hermogenes was killed in a scuffle that ensued.

This transaction greatly exasperated the emperor, who left Antioch though in the depth of winter, and immediately returned to Constantinople, with a design severely to punish the Christians. But their submission and entreaties 'softened him, and he contented himself with banishing Paul and suspending Macedonius.

In A. D. 350, the emperor Constans died, which gave the Arians fresh courage, and they immediately applied to the emperor, Constantius, who being an Arian in his heart, wrote an order to the prefect Philip, to remove Paul from the bishopric of Constantinople, and banish him again, to restore Macedonius.

Being exiled to Cucucus, he was confined in a small, loathsome, dark dungeon, where he was kept six days without food, and then strangled. He met death with fortitude, as he was always perfectly resigned in misfortunes, and convinced of the vanity of this transitory life, for reasons similar to those given by Solomon, in the expressive passages, which have been thus finely paraphrased :

Ye sons of men, with just regard attend,
Observe the preacher, and believe the friend,
Whose serious muse inspires him to explain,
That all we act and all we think is vain.
That in this pilgrimage of seventy years,
O'er rocks of perils and through vales of tears,
Destined to march, our doubtful steps we tend,
Tired with the toil, yet fearful of its end,
That from the womb we take our fatal shares
Of follies, passions, labors, tumults, cares:
And at approach of death shall only know
The truths, which from these pensive numbers flow,
That we pursue false joy and suffer real wo."

Paul retired again to the territories of Constans, implored the protection of that emperor, and, by his intercession, was again invested in his see. On this occasion, we are informed, that "his re-estab-" lishment did but exasperate his enemies, who were at that time constantly employed, both in secret and open attempts against his life, against which the affections of his people were his only security; and being convinced that the emperor had no other motive for allowing his stay at Constantinople, but the dread of disobliging his brother. Paul could not think himself wholly restored to his bishopric, while things were in this situation; and being very much concerned at what the orthodox bishops suffered from the power and malice of the Arian faction, joined Athanasius, who was then in Italy in soliciting a gen-Philagerius, the governor of Egypt, who

eral council."

The Arian party now prevailing, made Gregory of Cappadocia, a very obscure person, bishop of Alexandria, after having deposed Athanasius for his strict adherence to the orthodox faith. In the accomplishment of this affair, they were assisted by

was an apostate, and who suffered them to

arming themselves with swords, clubs, &c., they broke into one of the principal churches of Alexandria, where great numbers of orthodox Christians were assembled at their devotions; and falling upon them in a most barbarous manner, without the least respect to sex or age, the principal part of them

A council was accordingly held at Sar-commit all manner of outrages. Hence dica, in Illyrium, in the year 347, at which were present one hundred bishops of the western, and seventy-three of the eastern empire. But disagreeing in many points, the Arian bishops of the east retired to Philippolis, in Thrace; and forming a meeting there, they termed it the council of Sardica. From this place they pretend- were murdered.

THE PERSECUTION UNDER JULIAN THE APOSTATE.

ULIAN commonly called the apostate, was the son of Julius Constantius, and the nephew of Constantine the Great. He studied the rudiments of grammar under the inspection of Mardonius a eunuch, and a heathen of Constantinople. His father sent him sometime after to Nicomedia, to be instructed in the Christian religion, by the bishop Eusebius his kinsman; but his principles were corrupted by the pernicious doctrines of Ecebolius the rhetorician, and Maximus the magician.

clergy of the privileges granted them by Constantine the Great.

Hence was this persecution more dangerous than any of the former, as Julian aimed to sap the foundations of Christianity, instead of attacking the superstructure, and under the mask of clemency, practised the greatest cruelty in wishing to delude many thousands of their eternal salvation.

The Christian faith was thus in more danger of being subverted than it ever had been before, by the means of a monarch, at once witty and wicked, learned and hypocritical; who, at first, made his attempts, not by the means of fire, sword, and poison, Constantius dying in the year 361, Julian but by flatteries, gifts, and favors; not by succeeded him, and had no sooner attain- using racks and tortures, but by bestowing ed the imperial dignity, than he renoun-offices and dignities; and then, by prohibitced Christianity, and embraced paganism, ing Christian schools, he compelled the which had for some years fallen into great children of the gospel either to remain ildisrepute. But he again restored idola-literate, or become idolators. trous worship, by opening the several tem- Other methods taken by Julian were, to ples that had been shut up, rebuilding such order that Christians might be treated coldas were destroyed, and ordering the magis-ly upon all occasions, and in all parts of the trates and people to follow his example. empire, and to employ several witty persons He however, made no public edicts against to turn them, and their principles, into ridiChristianity, but tried to do that privately cule. Many were likewise martyred in his which other emperors had done openly.reign; for though he did not publicly perHe recalled all banished pagans, allowed secute them himself, he connived at their the free exercise of religion to every sect, being murdered by his governors and offibut deprived all Christians of offices at cers; and though he affected never to pacourt, in the magistracy, or in the army. tronise them for their murders, he never He was chaste, temperate, vigilant, labori- offered to punish them for their delinquency. ous, and seemingly pious, so that by his We shall recount the names, sufferings, and hypocrisy and pretended virtues he for a martyrdoms of such as have been transmittime did more mischief to Christianity than ted to the present times, that their example the most profligate libertine of his prede- may inspire fortitude, and their lives give cessors. Thus he attempted to undermine a useful lesson to mankind in general. Christianity by artifice, instead of expelling it by force; and to make his measures the more effectual he prohibited any Christian from keeping a school or public seminary of learning, and deprived all the Christian

BASIL made himself first famous by his opposition to Arianism, which brought upon him the vengeance of the Arian bishop of Constantinople, who issued out an order to prevent his preaching. He continued,

however, to perform his duty at Ancyra, the governor; for it was the policy of Julian to appear all moderation and clemency, and to suffer others, as much as possible, to seem the ostensible persons in acts of cruelty. In this affair, however, a future circumstance made the emperor forego his usual policy, and sacrifice his affected mer

the capital of Galatia. Enraged at his or-
thodox and manly proceedings, his enemies
accused him of being an incendiary, and a
disturber of the public peace; the monarch,
however, was too intent on an expedition to
Persia, to take notice of the accusation,
and their malice at that time was disap-cy to his resentment.
pointed.

The emperor's agents in vain tampered with Basil by means of promises, threats, and racks; he was firm in the faith, and remained in prison to undergo some other sufferings when the emperor came acci

Basil continued to preach strenuously against the idolatry of paganism on the one hand, and the errors of Arianism on the other and earnestly exhorted the people to serve Christ, in the purity of faith, and fer-dentally to Ancyra. vency of truth. By this conduct, both heathens and Arians were exasperated against him, and appeared equally desirous of accomplishing his destruction.

Meeting one day with a number of pagans going in procession to a sacrifice, he boldly expressed his abhorrence of such idolatrous proceedings, and inveighed against such absurd worship, at once in a manly and decent manner. This freedom caused the people to seize him, and carry him before Saturninus, the governor, where they brought three accusations against him, viz:

1. Reviling the gods.

2. Abusing the emperor.

3. Disturbing the peace of the city. On hearing these accusations which were equally malicious as groundless, Saturninus desired to know his sentiments from his own mouth; when finding him a strenuous Christian, he ordered him first to be put to the rack, and then he committed him to prison.

The people no sooner knew of Julian's approach, than they met him in grand procession, and presented to him their idol, the goddess Hecate. The two agents then gave the emperor an account of what Basil had suffered, and how firm he had been. Julian, on this, determined to examine Basil himself, when that holy man being brought before him, the emperor did everything in his power to dissuade him from persevering in the faith. Basil not only continued as firm as ever, but, with prophetic spirit, foretold the death of the emperor, and that he should be tormented in the other life.

Enraged at what he heard, Julian lost his usual affectation of clemency, and told Basil, in great anger, that though he had an inclination to pardon him at first, yet he had now put it out of his power to save his life, by the insolence of his behavior. He then commanded, that the body of Basil should be torn every day in seven different parts, till his skin and flesh were entirely mangled. This inhuman sentence was executed with rigor, and the martyr expired under its severities, on the 28th day of June, A. D. 362.

The governor wrote an account of his proceedings to the emperor, who was at this time very busy in establishing the worship of CYBELE, the fictitious mother of the fabulous deities. Julian, upon re- DONATUS, bishop of Arezzo, and HILARceiving the letter, sent Pagosus and Elpi-INUS, a hermit, suffered about the same dius, two apostates, to Ancyra, the city time for the faith: the first being beheaded, where Basil was confined, to employ both and the latter scourged to death. promises and threats to engage him to re- GORDIAN, a Roman magistrate, having a nounce his faith, and in case of their fail-Christian brought before him for examinaure, to give him up totally to the power of tion, was so charmed with the confession