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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46955	Julian's arts to undermine and extirpate Christianity together with answers to Constantius the Apostate, and Jovian / by Samuel Johnson.	Johnson, Samuel, 1649-1703.; Constantius II, Emperor of Rome, 317-361.; Jovian, Emperor of Rome, ca. 331-364.	1689 (1689)	Wing J832; ESTC R16198	97,430	242

For Gregory tells us that Apostacy was the road to Preferment and expresly says that it was the only recommendation to a place in the Government So that if the poor Christians were trampled upon by Heathens they must seek relief at the hands of Renegadoes more implacable and irreconcilable enemies than the others For while there was one Christian left in the World who persevered and was true to his Religion that Man was a standing reproach to their falseness and treachery And thus it has been in later days the Renegates that have gone over to Popery have always been fiercer than others and they are forced to be so in their own defence They must be cruel Papists that they may be believed to be Papists at all CHAP. VI. His different Carriage towards Cities ANother effectual course which Julian took to advance Paganism and to suppress Christianity was by giving Encouragement to those Cities which turned Heathens and by setting all Marks of his Displeasure upon those which were firm to their Religion He often writ to the Common Council of Cities if he understood they were converted to Heathenism bidding them to ask of him what Gifts or Grants they would But he manifestly hated those Cities which continued Christian so that he would neither endure to come at them himself nor receive the Messages of those who were sent to complain of their Grievances For Example when it was expected at that time that the Persians would make an Invasion and the Inhabitants of Nisibis a City upon the Frontiers sent a Message about it because they were Christians and neither opened Temples nor sacrificed he threatend that he neither would give them any Aid nor receive their Message nor come into their unhallowed and accursed City till such time as they would be perswaded to turn Heathens And objecting the like Faults to the Citizens of Constantia he gave away their City to the Men of Gaza For whereas that City was the Sea-port to Gaza and therefore called Majuma Constantine understanding that it had a very great Regard for the Christian Religion advanced it to the Dignity of being a City and called it by the Name of his Son Constantius accounting it an unjust thing that it should be subject or tributary to the Men of Gaza who were bigotted Heathens But as soon as Julian came to the Empire the Men of Gaza commenced their Suit against the Constantians And Julian himself fitting Judg annexed Constantia to the City Gaza tho about two Miles distant from it which being deprived of its former Name is now called the Maritime part of the City Gaza About the same time Cesarea that great and wealthy City and Metropolis of Cappadocia was by Julian struck out of the Catalogue of Cities and deprived of its Denomination from Caesar which it had under Claudius its Original Name being Mazaca For he had formerly born an implacable hatred against the Inhabitants because they were generally Christians and had formerly destroyed the Temples of Jupiter Patron of their City and Apollo Guardian of their Country And because withal the Temple of Fortune which only was left standing in his Reign was overthrown by the Christians he was grievously enraged at the whole City and chid the Heathens that were there very severely tho they were few in number that they did not revenge it and if any Calamity was to have been suffered that they did not undergo it readily for the sake of Fortune Whereupon he ordered all the Goods and Money which belonged to the Churches of Caesarea and those that were in the Confines of it should be discovered by Tortures and brought forth into the midst That they should presently pay three hundred pounds of Gold to the Treasury That all the Clergy should be entred into the Roll of Souldiers which served under the Governour of the Province which is look'd upon as very chargeable and very disgraceful in the Roman Armies And that the multitude of Christians with their Wives and Children should be taxed as they are in Villages And moreover he threatned them and bound it with an Oath that unless they suddenly rebuilt these Temples he would not leave raging and plaguing them and that the Galilaeans should not keep their Heads upon their Shoulders for so in scorn he called the Christians And perhaps he had been as good as his word if he himself had not the sooner come to his end Thus far the Historian It is worth the while to read what Gregory says in a very pleasant way concerning this last Passage As for what Julian did to my Country-men the Caesareans those generous and zealous Christians which were so harassed by him perhaps it is not fit to be mentioned by way of Reproach For he seemed to be justly angry upon Fortunes account who was unfortunate in a fortunate time and so to have proceeded to this Recompence Because one must yield somewhat to Injustice when it is got into Power CHAP. VII His Arts divide the Church JVlian's whole design was to have the Christians ruined but no doubt it would please him best if he could contrive and order the matter so that they should do it themselves and fall by their own Hands and therefore he took all the ways he could think of to embroil them and engage them in a Civil War of Contention among themselves Because in all other things he vexed and afflicted the Church and never meant any thing but Mischief Sozomen is thereby induced to believe that his very calling home the Orthodox Bishops was not out of any Kindness to them but with an intent to revive the Quarrel betwixt the Orthodox and the Arians that in the Scuffle they might both lose their Religion Or else as he adds that he might cast a Reproach upon Constantius for banishing them For Julian took all occasions to blacken both Constantius and Constantine the great and by traducing these who were the happy Founders of the Christian Establishment he laid the Ax to the Root of the Tree and wounded all sorts of Christians at once In his Caesars he represents Constantine in the same manner as the Papists use to do our Henry the Eighth and else-where he wishes his Enemies instead of one Constantius a great many And by the way we owe as little Thanks to them who call themselves Protestants and yet at every turn dare vilifie the blessed Instruments of our Reformation when such a sweet Prince as Edward the Sixth cannot escape their virulent Pens nor the Memory of the glorious Elizabeth from being assaulted with their false and foul-mouth'd Slanders I am sure the Homilies teach them another Lesson and put better words into their Mouths Honour be to God who did put Light in the Heart of his faithful and true Minister of most famous Memory King Henry the Eighth and gave him the Knowledg of his Word and an earnest Affection to seek his Glory and to put away all such

another-guess Man by Jove than any of the Galilaeans or any of the Hebrews before them And so was Ptolemy the Son of Lagus a better Man than any of them And as for all the Ptolemies they did not nurse up their City to that Greatness with the Sayings of Jesus nor render it a well-ordered and flourishing City even to this day with the Doctrine of the hateful Galilaeans And when it fell afterwards into the Hands of the Romans Augustus exprest great Kindness to it for their God Serapis's sake Just as Father Cressy insults when he is got into the Saxon Danish and Norman times And presently after you have a whole Cluster of the Pope's own Arguments Julian would not have them worship Jesus Whom neither they nor their Fathers have seen but the great Sun whom from all Eternity the whole Race of Mankind does see and behold and worship and by worshipping prospers Now here is the utmost of Antiquity Universality Succession Visibility and what not Arguments not worth the stooping to take up and therefore I conceive neither worth fetching from Rome nor carrying into Egypt 4. If his Arguments were unsuccessfull and he could not get Men to apostatize gratis then he wrought upon their Covetousness and Ambition for amongst too many a very bad Religion with Money or Honour to boot is reckoned a great Bargain And in this Field it was that Julian conquered as St. Asterius says What drew those who had been Christians and Communicants to the Worship of Devils Was it not the desire of great Possessions and to be Lords of other Men's Estates who having received Promises from wicked Heathens of being Governours as long as they lived or of having large Pensions out of the King's Treasury presently shifted their Religion like a Garment We have some Instances of these things from former times and our own Age has given us the Experience of others For when that Emperour who of a sudden laid down the Masque of a Christian impudently fell to sacrificing to Devils himself and propounded many Advantages to them that would do so too how many were there who left the Church and ran to the Altars How many catching at the Bait of Honours swallowed the Hook of Apastacy together with him But now they go up and down the Cities as stigmatized Persons hated and pointed at by all Look these are the Betrayers of Christ for a little Money they are put out of the Catalogue of Christians as Judas was out of the number of the Apostles and are as well known by their Denomination from the Apostate as Horses are known by their Brands As St. Gregory's Words are Some he drew with Money others with Dignities others with Promises others with Honours of all sorts which he exposed in all Men's sight not like a King but in a very servile manner Which made that honest Clergy-man Basilius take a great deal of necessary Pains to fortify the Christians against that Temptation by warning them not to part with their Religion upon those wretched Terms When Julian was Emperour says the Historian He went all up and down publickly and openly exhorting the Christians to stick fast to their Religion and not to be defiled with the Sacrifices and Libations of the Heathens and that they should reckon for nothing the Honours which were bestowed by the Emperour declaring that they were but for a Season in respect of the Wages of eternal Destruction Making this his Business he was hated by the Heathens and standing and looking upon them as they publickly sacrificed he fetch'd a deep Groan and prayed that no Christian might ever know by Experience that false Religion Upon this he was apprehended and delivered to the Governour and after several Torments manfully finished his Martyrdom I cannot but observe that both St. Asterius and Gregory make mention of Julian's tempting Men by Promises which was a cheap way of corrupting great Numbers For as the Cardinal advised the Gentleman who told him that he intended him the present of a very fine Horse but he unhappily fell lame by the way Go says his Eminency to such and such naming half a dozen other Cardinals and tell every one of them the very same Story and you may oblige more with your lame Horse than if he had come well to Town It is plain that one single Preferment in this way is capable of engaging a multitude of Expectants O base and low-priz'd Souls in the mean time which once could not be redeemed with Silver and Gold but are now bought with the very chincking of Money in one's hand It is no marvel therefore that immediately after Julian's Death these Men became a publick Scorn and were as vile in all Men's Eyes as Cattel that been sold in a Market and wore their Master's Brand upon them Gregory sufficiently expresses himself against those that had not the Courage and Resolution to hold out in that short and weak Assault of the Devil as he calls Julian's Persecution But they are worse than these says he and more deserve to be prohibited from coming to this Assembly that would not oppose the Times never so little nor them that drew us into a miserable Captivity away from him who ascended up on high and made us happy Captives but of their own accord and needlesly shewed themselves to be wicked and vile neither making the least Resistance nor being offended because of the Word for any Affliction or Trial that was upon them but the Wretches bartered away their Salvation for transitory Profit or Worship or a little Honour A little indeed a snuff of Honour which soon expired and went out in a stink CHAP. V. His choice of Magistrates AND now we might congratulate all the good Christians who had escaped Julian's Snares if he had so done with them but alas this Deliverance only exposed them to new and fiery Trials for those whom he could not catch in his Nets he left to be hunted down by the rage of the People And in order to this he had Magistrates for the purpose Men that would countenance and encourage the People in their Outrages upon the Christians instead of restraining or punishing that illegal Violence The Government of Provinces says Gregory was not put into the hands of the best natur'd and most moderate Men but of the most inhumane And he not only put into office the worst natur'd Heathens who were of a disposition inclined to Cruely but Apostates who never give Quarter and are found by the experience of all Ages to be the fiercest Persecutors The Christians knew this very well in the beginning of Julian's Reign before they felt it For Sozomen tells us The Church was in great fear of Persecution because of Julian's hatred to the Christians and was the more exceedingly afraid because he had formerly been a Christian Now it is very plain that Julian took care to bestow Offices upon those that were like himself

and Vagabond Landlopers he shall be represented by our Author as an Impostor himself However I regard it the less because I had not more diversion in reading heretofore the Tragi-Comedy of this Impostor than I have now in our Author's management of him To see Julian's Cousin Procopius standing by himself at the bottom of a Genealogy just like a Cipher without Father without Mother and without Descent where the Noble Algernon's Cousin might as well have stood if the Herald had so pleased But after all if this famous Procopius must needs be brought into Play he is clearly on my side For his setting up for Emperor under pretence of being of the Constantine Family is a strong Proof that the Empire was look'd upon as Hereditary as Perkin Warbeck's Imposture did suppose the Kingdom to be so here Neither lastly does the passing by of Varronianus the Infant-Son of Jovian signify any thing when Edgar Atheling was set aside thrice and several other Saxon Princes were put by for their Minority Whereas on the other hand Valentinian being made Emperor at four Years old is a greater Argument that the Empire was Hereditary than the setting aside Ten at that Age is to prove the contrary Secondly Jovian's quiet Behaviour is no proof that Valentinian as much a Confessor as he behaved himself quietly when he struck the Priest nor that all the other Christians behaved themselves quietly under Julian when they did not particularly the generous and zealous Caesareans as St. Gregory calls them who destroyed the Temple of Julian's great Goddess Fortune in his Reign and made her unfortunate in a fortunate Time. For which Julian was enraged at that whole City and gave his own Heathens there a severe Reprimand for not hazarding themselves to defend their Goddess but they durst not for the Christians in that City were too many for them Now on the other hand how if Jovian himself was as generous and as zealous a Christian as any of them For tho he had laid down his Commission and was cashiered for not sacrificing and obeying the Commandment of the wicked King yet Julian in his Expedition for Persia by Necessity of the approaching War had him amongst his Commanders as Socrates's Words are I have been often puzled to imagine what that Necessity should be and have sometimes been inclined to think that Julian stood in need of him for his Conduct to command some part of his Army who indeed for his Abilities was fittest to have commanded in chief But that cannot be for the great Jovian was but a Pike-man in that Expedition and was not entrusted with any Command so much as that of a Sergeant and was no more than a common Foot-Souldier when he was chosen Emperor And therefore Julian could not be without him nor leave him behind him upon some other account and whether that were lest in his absence he should go and live at Caesarea which was close by Nazianzum where old Gregory dwelt or upon what other account I desire to be informed by our Author Thirdly Jovian's being libelled and abused by none but the Heathens of Antioch for making a dishonourable Peace with the Persians which Reproach the Christians always wiped off from him and justly laid it upon Julian's Rashness or for his being a Christian which is undeniably true as Baronius has already proved it in Jovian's Life and as I could further prove if it were worth the while does by no means prove that the Christians of Antioch abused him as well as Julian and consequently would have abused any Body Whereas it is evident both from the Misopogon it self and from the express Testimony of Theodoret that the Instances of the Antiochian Christians Hatred to Julian did proceed purely from the height of their Christianity and their fervent Love to Christ It is too much in reason to tell Men a Story and to find them Ears too but I will do it for once as to this Story of Theodoret. The Words were these That the Antiochians who had received their Christianity from the greatest Pair of Apostles Peter and Paul and had a warm Affection for the Lord and Saviour of all did always abominate Julian who ought never to be remembred you have his own Word for it For for this reason he wrote a Book against them and called them the Beard-haters Now the same Men that derived their Christianity from the chiefest Apostles and had a great Love for our Saviour were the Men that could not endure Julian and against whom for that reason he writ his Misopogon So that according to Theodoret that Book was caused by their Hatred to Julian and their Hatred to Julian was caused by their Love to Christ and their Love to Christ proceeded from their pure and primitive Christianity And let our Author find any new ways of shuffling to call this Zeal Scurrility if he can And fourthly Jovian is so far from proving Julian's Army in Persia to be all Christians or almost all Christians as my divided Answerers say or Christians at all that it is demonstrable from his Election that they were Heathens for he therefore refused the Empire because they were Heathens He refused it at first when he was chosen by the Army in the absence of the Commanders and afterwards when the Commanders had agreed to the Army's Choice and had set him upon a high Stage and given him all the Titles of Majesty calling him Caesar and Augustus still he refused it not fearing the Princes nor Souldiers altering their Minds for the worse but told them plainly I cannot being a Christian as I am take the Government of such Men nor be the Emperor over Julian's Army which is principled in a wicked Religion for such Men being left destitute of God's Providence will become an easy Prey and Sport to our Enemies The Souldiers having heard these Words cried out with one Voice O King let not that Doubt trouble you neither do you decline the Government of us as a wicked Government for you shall reign over Christians and Men bred up in the true Religion For the elder amongst us were bred under Constantine and the rest under Constantius and the Reign of this Man who is now dead has been short and not sufficient to establish Heathenism in the Minds of those that have been seduced Now this is a Demonstration that Julian's Army were profest Heathens for it is Nonsence to say that Jovian who was so well acquainted with the Army and was all along with it in that Expedition did not know what Religion the Army profest Or I would fain know what Danger he was in for declaring against Heathenism in a Christian Army that Theodoret should say This brave Man using his accustomed Boldness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is says our Author p. 105. confessing Christ boldly in the midst of his Enemies in apparent Danger of Torture or Death not fearing the Princes or Armies