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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38744	The abridgment of Eusebius Pamphilius's ecclesiastical history in two parts ... whereunto is added a catalogue of the synods and councels which were after the days of the apostles : together with a hint of what was decreed in the same / by William Caton.; Ecclesiastical history. English	Eusebius, of Caesarea, Bishop of Caesarea, ca. 260-ca. 340.; Caton, William, 1636-1665.	1698 (1698)	Wing E3420; ESTC R1923	127,007	269

that their outward Countenance bewrayed their inward Apostacy i. e. their revolting or falling from the True Religion for the former went cheerfully with great majesty and grace their Fetters becoming them as the skirts of the new-married Spouse garnished with sundry Colours and laid over with Gold and withal yielding a Christian fragrant i. e. sweet-smelling smell so that many supposed their Bodies to have been outwardly perfumed But the other all sad and mournful as vile ond abject caitified i. e. base naughty mis-shapen Creatures full of all deformity derided of the Gentiles themselves deserving death as degenerating Cowards destiture of the most precious glorious and lively Name of Christianity with the sight hereof many are confirmed so that suddenly being apprehended without stay they professed their Faith A little after in the same Epistle it is shewn how that Maturus Sanctus and Blandina were led unto the brute Beasts in the popular and publick spectacle of the heathenish Inhumanity even at the day appointed of set purpose where Maturus and Sanctus were diversly tormented with sundry sorts of punishment as if they had suffered nothing before and whatsoever the outragious multitude craved and commanded that they suffered but above all they patiently suffered the Iron Chair wherein their Bodies boiled as in a Frying-pan yet could they get no other Sentence of Sanctus save that Confession which he cried at the first And because Caesar had commanded that such as confessed themselves Christians should be executed and such as renounced should depart the frequented Solemnity which by reason of the concourse of the Gentiles from every Country was at the beginning very populous he brought forth from Prison the blessed Confessors for so it seems the Christians were sometimes called into the open Spectacle or View and Presence of the People to be scornfully gazed upon and when he had again made Inquisition them as many as he to wit the President found to be priviledged Persons of Rome those he beheaded the rest he threw to be torn asunder of wild Beasts But Attalus was burned in the Iron Chair and being demanded what Name God had he answered God is not called after the manner of Men. And after these things Blandina together with Ponticus a young Man of fifteen years of Age was brought forth and compelled to swear by their Idols Names But they constantly persevered in their Opinion and contemning their Idols set the multitude in such a rage against them that they neither pitied the years of the young Man nor spared the Womankind but plagued them with many Torments used in their Theaters i. e. certain Places made for People to sit and behold solemn Games and Plays urging them now and then to swear which when they could not bring to pass Ponticus being encouraged of the Sister in presence of Pagans i. e. Heathens or Infidels who then beheld how she exhorted and confirmed the young Man after he had suffered many Torments yielded up the Ghost And Blandina was afterwards wrapped in a Net and tumbled before a wild Bull who fanned and tossed her with his Horns to and fro yet it is said she had no feeling of these things her Mind being fixed and wholly set upon the Conference which she had with Christ and finally she was beheaded The Rage and Cruelty of the Gentiles did not herewith cease against the Christians for as many as were choaked up with the noisome stink of the Prisons were thrown to be devoured of Dogs and a continual watch set day and night that none of them should be buried and some fretted and fumed at them with the gnashing of their teeth seeking further revengement of them others derided and scoffed them magnifying their Idols as Causers of the Chrishians Calamity And such as were of a milder Nature and somewhat sorrowed at our Sufferings upbraided us i. e. cast them in the teeth and said Where is their God and what profited them this Religion which they preferred before their Lives And after they had kept the dead Bodies six days unburied at length were burned to ashes the ashes also they gathered and scattered in the River Rhoanus which passed by so that no jot or relick thereof should longer remain upon Earth This they did to the end they might overcome God and hinder the reviving of the Saints lest that as they said there should be any further hope of the Resurrection whereof say they the Christians being fully perswaded bring among us a strange and new Religion They contemn i. e. despise punishment and hasten themselves cheerfully unto death Now let us see whether they can arise and whether their God can help and deliver them from our hands Of Attalus's Revelation In the aforesaid Epistle there was a certain Narration contained concerning one Alcibiades who lived miserably feeding only on Bread and Water when he had determined with himself to live in Prison It was revealed to Attalus after his first Conflict on the Theater that Alcibiades did not well in that he used not the lawful Creatures of God and also gave an occasion of doubting unto others Hereof when Alcibiades was perswaded he used all things indifferently and praised God For they were not destitute of the Grace of God but had the Holy Ghost for their Director What Irenaeus wrote concerning the Holy Scriptures Eusebius relates what Irenaeus hath writ concerning the Four Evangelists i. e. the Bringers of good Tidings saying Matthew delivered unto the Hebrews the History of the Gospel written in their own Tongue When Peter and Paul had preached at Rome and planted the Church aftheir departure Mark the Disciple and Interpreter of Peter also delivered us in writing such things as he had heard Peter preach And Luke accompanying Paul comprised in one Volume the Gospel preached of him After these Iohn the Disciple of our Lord which also leaned on his Breast published a Gospel unto the Posterity remaining at Ephesus Moreover in the same Chapter it is said That in the Captivity of the Iews under Nebuchadnezzar the Scriptures were perished the Iews returning into their own Region i. e. Country after seventy years in the time of Artaxerxes King of Persia he inspired Esdras the Priest of the Tribe of Levi that he restored again all the Sayings of the former Prophets and delivered unto the People the Law given by Moses Apollinarius concerning Montanus It is now a great while ago well-beloved A. M. since thou didst enjoin me this Task that I should publish some Book against the Followers of the Heretick Montanus whereupon I doubted unto this day what was best to be done Not because I was not able to confure their Falshood and give Testimony unto the Truth but that I feared greatly lest by writing I should seem to add something to the Doctrine of the New Testament whereto nothing may be added and wherefrom nothing may be taken away by him that

any should fall from the Faith daily there were apprehended such as were worthy to fulfil the number of the Faln Weaklings so that out of both these Churches as many as Ruled and bore the greatest sway were taken and Executed and also certain of the Ethnicks i. e. Heathens being our Servants were taken for the President had commanded publickly a General Inquisition to be made for us who being overcome by the subtil slights of Satan and terrified with the sights of the Torments which the Saints suffered through the perswasion of the Souldiers feigned against us and reported that we used the feastings of Thiestes and the Incest of Oedinus with divers other Crimes which may neither Godlyly be thought upon neither with modesty be uttered neither without Impiety be believed These things now being Bruited or reported abroad every body almost was moved and incensed against us insomuch that they which for familiarity sake used moderation before now were exceedingly moved and mad with us great then was the rage both of People President and Souldiers against the Martyrs And among the rest there was a woman called Blandina by whom Christ shewed that those things which in the sight of men appear vile base and Contemptible deserve great glory with God for the true Love they bear to him indeed without boasting in shew For when as we all Quaked for fear yea and her carnall Mistress which also was one of the persecuted Martyrs was very careful least that peradventure at the time of her Answer by reason of the frailty of the Flesh She would not persevere Constant Yet she was so replenished from above with Grace that the Executioners which Tormented her by turns from morning to night Fainted for weariness and ceased confessing themselves overcome and that they were no longer able to Plague her with any more Punishments c. For she like a noble wrestler was nenewed at her Confession for as it is reported of her as oft as she pronounced I am a Christian neither have we Committed any Evil She was recreated refreshed and felt not Pain of her Punishment Sanctus also bare nobly and valliantly yea above the Nature of man all such vexations as man could devise his Constancy was so great that he uttered neither his own Name neither his Kindred neither the Country whence he was nor whether he were Bond or Free but unto every Question he answered in the Roman tongue I am a Christian. This confessed he often instead of all other things of his Name and City and Kindred neither could the Gentiles get any other Language of him wherefore the President and the Tormentors were feircely set against him and when as now there remained scarce any Punishment unpractised at length they applyed unto the tenderest parts of his Body Plates of Brass Glowing Hot which ●…ryed Scared and Scoarched his Body yet he remained unmovable nothing amazed and constant in his confession being strengthened and moistened with the Dew which fell from the Celestial that is Heavenly Fountain of the Water of Life Over all his Body his Flesh was wounded his Members bescarred his Sinews shrunk so that the Natural shape and outward hew was quite changed And when as the wicked Tormentors a few days after had brought him to the place of Torment and well hoped that if they punished him now they should overcome him and prevail or if that he dyed in Torment they should terrifie the rest and so warn them to take heed None of all these things happned unto him but beyond all mens expectation in the latter Torments his Body was released of the pain recovered the former shape as it is recorded of him and the Members were restored to their former use so that the second Plague through the Grace of Christ was no grievous malady i. e. disease but present Medicine Again Satan going about Blasphemously to slander us procured Biblis a woman one of them which had fainted before to be brought forth supposing her frail and fearful mind now to be quite altered from the Christian Opinion consequently through her Blasphemous denial to be in danger of Damnation But she at the very hour of Torment returned unto her self and waking as it were out of a dead sleep by means of these Punishments Temporal considered of the pains of Eternal Fire and unlooked for cryed out unto the Tormentors and said How could they devour Infants which were not suffered to touch the Blood of Bruite Beasts Therefore when she confessed her self a Christian she was appointed to take her chance among the Martyrs Afterwards the Saints were Imprisoned in deep and dark Dungeons and were fettered in the Stocks and their Feet stretched unto the fifth boord chink with other Punishments which furious Ministers or Goa●…ers full of devilish rage are wont to put in ure i. e. use and practise upon poor Prisoners so that many were stifled and strangled in Prison And when many of the Saints were so weakned with grievous Torments that life seemed unto them unpossible they remaining shut up in close Prisons destitute of all mans aid yet even then were they Comforted of the Lord and confirmed in Body and mind so that they stirred up and Comsorted the rest several of the younger sort that were newly apprehended whose bodys had not before tasted of the lash of the whip loathed the closeness of the Prison and were choked up with stinch And Pothinus Bishop of Lyons being above four score and ten years old weak of Body scarce able to draw breath because of the Imbecillity i. e. Feebleness or Weakness of Nature he was carried of the Souldiers and laid before the Tribunal i. e. Iudgment seat accompanied with the Potentates i. e. Princes or great Rulers of the City and the whole multitude diversly shouting as if he had been Christ he hath given a good Testimony And being asked of the President who was the God of the Christians he answered If thou become worthy thou sholt understand After this answer he was cruelly handled and suffered many stripes for such as were nearest to him struck at him both with hand and foot and such as stood afar off look what each one had in his hand that was thrown at his head and such as ceased from pouring out their poisoned malice thought themselves to have grievously offended supposing by this means to avenge the ruine of their rotten Gods Afterwards he was cast into Prison where after two days he departed this life Moreover as many as fainted in the first persecution were all alike imprisoned and Partakers of the affliction neither did they prevail or the denial profit them it was thought sufficient Fault that they confessed to have been such but these as Murtherers and hainous Trespassers were twice more grievously plagued The joy of Martyrdom the hoped promises the love towards Christ and the fatherly Spirit comforted the one Company The other were vexed in Conscience so

who could not bow to the Gods of the Heathen no more then the true Christians now can bow to the corrupt wills of Ambitious and unreasonable men and though the Innocent suffer therefore for the present yet for their sakes will the Lord shorten the days of the Wicked as he did the days of that Persecuting Emperour The Seventh Persecution IN the year 253. did the Seventh Persecution arise under the Emperour Decius who with Excessive Cruelty did Persecute the Christians In this Persecution several of the Bishops were put to death and such as were the chief among the Christians did they torture with many Torments and the Houses of the Christians they Plundred and that which the Plunderers did not esteem that they burned In this Persecution many suffered Martyrdom some being Burned some Beheaded Women so well as Men some being whipt to death and some Souldiers for Incouraging these Martyrs in their Suffering were put to death In this Terrible Persecution several departed from the Faith for fear of the Torments yet afterwards came to be restored again the Suffering of the Christians was great under this Emperour but his days were also shortened for he had not Raigned two years but was caught in a Whag of Mire where he met with a check or Reproof for his cruelty Note Thus it appears that the Christians that lived Godly in Christ-Iesus suffered Persecution according to what the Apostle hath said 2 Tim. 3 12. And many now that live Godly and Righteously do suffer not only the Imprisonment of their Bodies but also the Spoyling of their Goods which have been Spoyled both by Priests and People who have sometime as it were Plundred their Houses for their dishonest gain and they have shewed themselves in their carriage and behaviour to be liker unto the Heathen then the suffering Christians who suffered their Houses to be Plundred but we do not Read that they then Plundred the Houses of any but with patience suffered the Plundring of their Goods and in this patience and long Suffering are the Christians that are so not in Name only but in Nature found in these Perillous times Again have not some Souldiers been turned out of their places yea and brought into suffering for countenancing and favouring the Sober Innocent true Christians among whom some for fear of Suffering may in some respect desert the Truth as some faithless ones among the ancient Christians did yet we know certainly there are a Remnant that cannot bow their knee to Baall but would chuse rather to die the death which many ancient Christians suffered then they will forsake the Lords Truth or Transgress his Righteous Law by breaking his commands The Eighth Persecution IN the year 259. did the eighth Persecution arise under the Emperour Valerianus who put forth a Proclamation against the Christians wherein he forbad their Meetings and when this Proclamation or Order was not observed then did there follow a great Persecution of the Christians in which there was very many put to death and some were Banished and they converted of the Heathen in the place to which they were Banished but the Emperour under whom the Christians thus suffered did not go unreproved for his cruelty for he was taken Prisoner by the King of Persia who made use of him for a Foot-stool when he got up upon his Horse c. Note Hath it not happned so in England that by the Kings Proclamation the Meetings of the true Christians have been forbidden And when that they observed the Kings Proclamation no more then the antient Christians observed the Emperours hath not a great Persecution followed have not many of the Prisons he silled with them partly because they could not Swear and partly because they continved their Meetings when they were forbidden by the Kings Proclamation as the Religion of the Christians was forbidden by the Laws of the Heathen and therefore did the Heathen with much rigour pronounce these words unto the Christians Your Religion is forbidden by the Laws c. And did not Anti-christians the like when they abused them in their Meetings and broke them up with much Violence did they not also pronounce these words with much Rigour Your Meetings are forbidden by the Kings Proclamation c. And forasmuch as the true Christians now have chused rather to suffer Bonds and Imprisonment yea the spoyling of their Goods and what not then they would renounce the Faith deny their Religion or forsak the Assembling of themselves together it doth therefore appear that the same mind is found in them now which was heretofore in the antient Christians who chused rather to suffer the loss of their Lives then to forsake him for whose cause they suffered yet we see their Persecutors did not always go unreproved Oh! that other Kings Princes and Magistrates would take warning from that which happened to these Persecuting Emperours The Ninth Persecution IN the year 273. did the ninth Persecution arise under the Emperour Aurelianus but this Persecution was not so great as the other because he was cut off by death soon after he had determined the same yet in this Persecution was Felix the Bishop of Rome put to Death with several others here and there in divers places Note Often doth the Lord frustate the purposes and Determinations of such as conspire Mischief against his People yea have we not seen sundry Powers overturned in England and Parliments broken up and Councels if not Committees also shattered to pieces when they have been determined to do Wickedly so that sometime they have not had power to bring that forth which they had Conceived and brought to the Birth so mightily hath the Lord confounded their Conspiracies and brought their devices to nought and this the true Christians have concluded to be the Lords doing which they have beheld and which thing hath been indeed marvelous in their Eyes The Tenth Persecution IN the year 302. begun the Tenth Persecution which was so great that it exceeded all that had been before it not only in cruelty but in continuance for it continued 12 Years Eusebius who lived at that time Writes of it at large in his Eclesiastical History saying it was occasioned through the freedom of the Christians who were come into great Reputation and were put in places of Office to Rule in Countrys and Cities but through their prosperity and voluptuousness Brotherly Love came to decrease Haughtyness and Pride got up and in stead of the worship of God an insolent authority begun to get up in the Church of the Christians And at that time the Emperour Diocletianus gave forth a Proclamation wherein he commanded that all the Christian Churches should be pulled down and the Holy Scriptures Burned and that the Christians should be turned out of their places with other such like things After that there came another Order that they should cause the chief of of the Church to offer unto Idols or else they were to be put to