Chap. 4.

Errors.

37

by representing Christianity as unfriendly to their government; hence the gospel was considered as a system of rebellion, and the preachers and professors of it treated as the sons of sedition. The apostles with their fellow-labourers were repeatedly, in various provinces, laid in bonds; twice was Paul brought before Nero, and one of his proscriptions under that tyrant lasted two whole years. It is very likely such treatment finally issued in his martyrdom. The concluding scenes of scripture history leave John an exile in the isle of Patmos, whither he was banished by the Roman emperor Domitian, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

But neither the fire of persecution without, nor the light of divine truth within, proved effectual to keep the church in the unity of the Spirit, and in the bond of perfectness. Apostles themselves were but men, and when left to themselves, they manifested their own prejudices and passions. The first debate arose from the attachment discovered by Jewish converts, to their old ceremonies and ritual; these they enforced not only as necessary to be continued among Jews, but also to be observed by Gentile converts, and so the faith of the gospel was debased and corrupted. Against this error, Paul directed both his preaching and his pen, proving that men, whether Jews or Gentiles, were justified by faith only, without the works of the law; and that the whole of the Mosaic ceremonies, being only shadows of things to come, were abrogated on the accomplishment of the Saviour's mission.

Another, and an opposite error, arose out of an abuse of the doctrines of grace. Some affirmed that they might live in sin, because justification was an act of grace in favour of the ungodly, through the righteousness of

D

38

Divisions.

Cent. 1.

another. And there were those severally who denied the divinity of Christ, or the humanity of Christ, asserted that the resurrection was passed, and that mingled the hateful deeds of the heathen, with the pure services of Christianity. These things are noticed in the writings of Paul, Peter, James, and John. These errors, which so early crept into the infant church, arose in a great measure from the prevalence of pagan philosophy, to which doubtless Paul alludes in his reflection on the opposition of science, falsely so called, and John in his delineation of a deceiver and an antichrist. Such philosophical Christians would be wise above what is written, and with their science opposed the pure and simple doctrines of Christ, or so corrupted them that they ceased to be any longer the grand principles of the gospel.

Error will always produce division, and indeed, sometimes the smallest differences in opinion have effected breaches wide and grievous. In the Corinthian church a spirit of partiality had prevailed in favour of particular preachers; this partiality had led to factious separations, and envious contentions: this the apostle condemned as carnal and worldly, and whenever Christians divide on subjects non-essential and trivial, the spirit of the gospel passes the same sentence on them. A man who holds the head, and walks in newness of life, though he differ from me in some other matters, is no heretie; but if I refuse to commune with him on that account, I become a schismatic. "What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder." Christians are all one in Christ Jesus. To divide, then, upon points

* These were the ancient Antinomians, a word derived from anti against, and nomos a law.

Chap. 5.

Christian Faith.

89

which do not affect Christianity, is sehism, and a breach of that great command—“ Walk in love.”

CHAPTER V.

THE STATE OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH FROM THE CLOSE OF SORIPTURE HISTORY TO THE CONCLUSION OF THE FIRST CENTURY.

HITHERTO We have followed the sure word of prophecy; it has been a light to our feet: henceforward we must go by human tradition, the archives of which we shall often find to be a dark place. However, there are some leading principles which, if we take with us, we shall secure to ourselves a guide in so devious and uncertain a way. The New Testament church, in its canonical records, has sufficiently furnished us with a standard of essential doctrines, such as the Trinity in Unity; the divinity, incarnation, and atonement of God's Son; the influence of the Holy Ghost in the application of Christ's work, and in the regeneration of the soul, and renewal of the life. Wherever we find these doctrines alive in their effects, there we find the CHUROH; but without these, we have no traces of an institution deserving the name of CHRIST. Thus, amidst the errors and divisions, the disputes and contentious, the triumphs and defeats, of those called ecclesiastics, we have still the light of divine truth to help us in our researches.

The sacred historians leave the surviving apostles at different periods. The Acts concludes the life of James the son of Zebedee, but follows no other to his death. The last view we have of Peter is at Antioch, probably

40

Nero's Persecution.

Cent. 1.

about A. D. 50. His first Epistle is dated by Christian ehronologists 60, and his second six years after. From the way in which we have seen the apostles and their companions employ themselves, we may safely infer, that as circumstances would permit, they continued to the end of their days in going about in the service of their divine Master; for before the conclusion of this century, the gospel had widely spread its conquests, both among Jews and Gentiles-the far greater part of the Roman empire was marked with its triumphs. Paul the apostle of the Gentiles, after his two years' confinement at Rome, obtained a short respite. About this time took place the burning of Rome, and the first general massaere of the Christians. It is very remarkable that the apostle should escape this sore and almost universal persecution, for he was either a prisoner at the time, or had but just obtained deliverance; but in whichever case, the Lord was his friend, and delivered him out of the mouth of the lion. After this, his own writings intimate his reimprisonment, from which it seems he again escaped; but his martyrdom soon followed. By the bloody mandate of Nero it is most likely he fell: the success of his ministry must have rendered him peculiarly hateful to such a prince for (probably through his preaching) there were "saints in Cæsar's household."

The vast conflagration at Rome, with the persecution thereon, forms so conspicuous a feature in the history of this century, that it must not be suffered to pass without special notice. In the tenth year of Nero's reign, A. D. 64, this event took place; said to have been kindled by his own order, for the pleasure of gazing on the desolation occasioned thereby. To exculpate himself, he laid the charge upon the Christians, a people

Chap. 5.

Tacitus.

41

universally held in contempt, and nothing was too bad to be imputed to them. Tacitus, the famed historian of that day, speaking of Nero, and of the event, says, "To "divert suspicion from himself, he substituted fictitious "criminals and with this view he inflicted the most ex"quisite tortures on those men, who under the vulgar "appellation of Christians, were already branded with "deserved infamy. They derived their name from "CHRIST, who, in the reign of Tiberius, had suffered "death by the sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate. "For a while this dire superstition was checked; but "it again burst forth, and not only spread itself over “Judea, the seat of this mischievous sect, but was even “introduced into Rome the common asylum, which re"ecives and protects whatever is impure and atrocious. "The confessions of those who were seized, discovered

a great multitude of their accomplices, and they were "all convicted, not so much for the crime of setting fire "to the city as for their hatred of human kind. They died "in torments, and these were imbittered by insult and "derision. Some were nailed on crosses, others sewn “up in skins of wild beasts and exposed to the fury of "dogs; others again, smeared over with combustible

materials, were used as torches to illuminate the dark"ness of the night. The gardens of Nero were destined "for the melancholy spectacle, which was accompanied "by an horse race, and honoured with the presence of "the emperor, who mingled with the populace in the "dress and attitude of a charioteer. The guilt of the "Christians deserved indeed the most exemplary punish"ment but the public abhorrence was changed into com"miseration, from the opinion that these unhappy “wretches were sacrificed, not so much to the rigour of “justice, as to the cruelty of a jealous tyrant."