to bee inhabitants of it and was called by the Emperours name AElia Thus we see that the Iewes who would not receiue Christ who came in his Fathers name yet they received another who came in his owne name and like vnto babes who are easily deceived with trifles they were bewitched with the splendor of a glorious name for Barcochebas signifieth the sonne of a starre and hee said to the Iewes that hee was sent as a light from heaven to succour their distressed estate but hee might haue beene called more iustly Barchosba the sonne of a lie Here I giue warning againe that we take heed to our selues left wee bee circumvented with the deceitfull snares of the diuell for it is an easie thing to fall but a difficult thing to rise againe The Christians who lived in the dayes of Adrian were glad to bee refreshed with the crums of outward comfort which are denyed to no accused person in the whole world viz. that Christians shall not be condemned to death for the importunate clamours and cryes of a raging people accusing them except it be prooved that they haue transgressed the Law and haue committed some fact worthy of death Reade the Epistle of Adrian written to Minutius Fundanus Deputy in Asia The good intention of Adrian in building a Church for the honour of Christ voyd of Images because such was the custome of Christians was hindered by some of his familiar friends who sayd that if hee so did all men would forsake the temples of the gods of the Gentiles and become Christians In this point good Reader marke what Church is like vnto the ancient Primitiue and Apostolike Church whether the Church decked with Images or the Church voyd of Images Antoninus Pius TO Adrian succeeded Antoninus Pius his adopted son and raigned 23. yeares Hee was so carefull to preserue the liues of his Subjects that hee counted it greater honour to saue the life of one Subiect then to destroy the liues of a thousand enemies In this Emperours time Iustinus Martyr wrote notable bookes of Apologie for the Christians which were presented and read in the Senate of Rome and mollified the Emperours minde toward Christians as clearely appeareth by his edict proclaimed at Ephesus in time of most solemne conventions of all Asia Antoninus Philosophus and L. Verus AFter Antoninus Pius succeeded his sonne in law Antoninus Philosophus otherwise called Marcus Aurelius with his brother L. Aurelius Verus This is the first time wherein the Romane Empire was governed by two Augusties Albeit Titus had associated his brother Domitian to be a fellow labourer with him in the worke of government yet was not Domitian counted or called Augustus vntill the death of his brother Titus But now at one and the selfe same time two Emperours do raigne Antoninus Philosophus raigned nineteene yeares Lucius Verus his brother nine yeares And so after the death of Verus the whole gouernment returned to Antoninus Philosophus onely Hee was called a Philosopher not onely in regard of his knowledge but also in respect of the practise of Philosophie He was neither greatly pust vp by prosperity nor cast downe by aduersity yet he was a cruell persecuter of innocent Christians Now is the fuell added to the furnace the fourth time and the flame is great and the arme of wicked men who hated the name of Christians is strengthened by the Emperours commandement The trumpets of the Monarches of the world found the alarme against him who made them Kings rulers on the earth The poore innocent lambs of the sheepfold of Christ appointed for the shambles strengthened their hearts in God and in the power of his might chose rather to suffer adversity with their brethren then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season they were content to be racked and would not be delivered that they might bee partakers of a better resurrection whose bodies torne with stripes vntill their very inward bowels were patent to the outward sight witnessed the vnrent firmenesse and stability of their faith They were so supported with the power of that grace that commeth from aboue that they were not terrified with the multiplied numbers of cruell torments newly devised for dashing that invincible courage of faith which was seene in Christians Yea further then this When the persecuting enemies were compelled to change the high tuned accent of their menacing speeches and to craue but a little conformitie to the Emperours desire in swearing by his fortune the holy men of God would not once seeme to fall away from their profession by answering with timerous and doubtfull words but glorified God with a cleare and constant confession of their Christian faith Polycarpus Bishop of Smyrna and Iustinus Martyr a man of singular erudition were both martyred in the fervent heat of this persecution But aboue all other places the consuming flame of the furnace brast out most vehemently in France that happy Nation wherein both of old and late time so many were found worthy to giue their blood for the name of Christ. Vetius Epagathus Maturus Prothenus Attalus Sanctus and Photinus Bishoppe of Lyons all suffered for the testimony of Christ in France And Blandina a worthy woman suffered many torments and renewed her spirituall courage by continuall iteration of these words Christiana sum that is I am a Christian. In like manner Christians were persecuted with the slanderous speeches of Pagans obiecting vnto them the banquets of Thyestes and the chambering of Oedipus that is the eating of mens flesh and incestuous coppulations But men who are giuen to the momentaneall delights of sin are not willing to die because that by death they are separated from all bodily pleasures The Christians by patient and willing suffering of death for Christs sake clearely witnessed vnto the world that they were not addicted to the deceitfull pleasures of sinne Neverthelesse these slanderous speeches were credited by the pagans and tooke such deepe roote in their hearts that those who seemed before to be more meek and moderate then others now they became full of madnesse and rage against Christians and that which was foretolde by our master Christ it was fulfilled at this time to wit The time shall come that whosoever killeth you shall thinke hee doth God good service The huge number of Martyrs that were slaine in the fury of this persecution are both accurratly and at great length set downe by that worthy instrument of Gods glory who lately wrote the Booke of Martyrs I onely point out shortly the estate of the Church at this time In this Emperours time good men were not wanting who admonished him to appease his wrath against Christians such as Claudius Apolinaris Bishop of Hierapolis and Melito Bishop of Sardis But nothing could asswage his cruell heart vntill hee was cast into the furnace of grievous troubles himselfe for his army that fought against the Germanes and Samaritanes fell
Sultan of Aegypt who fained as though hee had beene flying from place to place vntill hee found the Christian armie Camping in a low place beside the riuer Nilus and then opening the sluâ—es of the water the most part of all the Christians were drowned and Damiata againe recouered The second armie was led by Fredericus the second into Asia at what time Ierusalem was recouered againe and all that Baldwine the fourth had of old in his possession was rendered to the Christians and a couenant of peace was bound vp for 10. yeeres to come as hath beene declared in the treatise of the life of Fredericke The third armie was raised vp by Theobald King of Nauarre Americus Count of Montfort Henry Count of Campanie Peter Count of Britan and Anselmus de Insula Theobald hauing the chiefe regiment of the armie which set foreward by the intisement of Gregorie the 9. before the time of the 10. yeeres peace concluded by Fredericke had taken an ende For the which cause it is not to be doubted but this voyage had the more vnprosperous successe for they had lost the third part of the armie before they came to Antiochia from thence they went to Ptolemais and from thence to Gaza The Barbarians perceiuing that this armie was set forth without the Emperours aduice because his Souldiers that were in Asia keeped the bond of peace and assisted not this armie of Theobald they laid there Ambushments in secret places wayting for advantage of the Christian armie and set vpon them when they were wearie returning from their spoiling with great prey but the Christians made strong resistance and put the aliens to flight The day next following the Barbarians renewed their forces and prevailed against the Christians Americus Count of Montfort and Henry Count of Campanie being slaine And Theobald king of Navarre with great difficultie escaped and returned home accompanied with a very few number of men who remained vndestroyed in that vnprosperous voiage The fourth armie was led by Richard Count of Cornwall whom the Pope had put in hope to be made Emperour but when hee came to Ierusalem and vnderstood by Rainoldus the Emperours deputie there of the peace which had beene concluded by a solemne couenant hee enterprised nothing against the Barbarians but subscribed the bond of peace concluded before by the Emperour Fredericke and left he should seeme to haue made all his trauels in vaine hee receiued some dropps of the Lords blood from the Patriarch of Ierusalem so blind was this seduced age that a vaine shew of counterset reliques was counted a worthie price to recompence the ieopardous trauels of Princes leading great armies from one end of the world to another After the death of Rainald the Templaries without all regard of the peace bound vp denounce warre to the Saracens and compelled the Christians in Asiato put themselues in armes But the Soldan of Aegypt sent for support of the Babylonians who sent vnto him a companie of sauadge men called Grossouij who pitched their campe at Gaza and tooke it and destroied all the Templaries that dwelt therein The like did they to the inhabitants of Askelon also the people that came to support the Templaries were vtterly cut off and finallie they set vpon Ierusalem which was easily conquered and all the inhabitants thereof were put to the sword without regard of sexe or age and the towne it selfe was subuerted neither was any building spared though neuer so ample pleasant also they subverted the Sepulchre of the Lord. The first voiage was vndertaken by Lewis King of Fraunce sonne to the Queene Blanch who being diseased and almost at the point of death vowed to God that in case hee recouered health hee would be crossed or marked with the crosse to visit the Lords Sepulchre and there solemnly to render thankes which vow also hee endeuored to performe and in the yeere of our Lord 1248. after he had receiued the Popes blessing at Lyons set forward with a mightie armie hauing in companie with him the Earle Atrabacensis his brother the Duke of Burgundy the Duke of Brabant the Countesse of Flanders with her two sonnes the Earle of Britanie with his sonne the Earle of Barrensis the Earle of Swesson the Earle of S. Paul the Earle of Druise the Earle Retel with many other noble Persons In the beginning of this enterprise they seemed to prosper well for they tooke the Towne of Damiata at their first arriuall into Aegypt which was the chiefe seat and hold of the Saracens in all Aegypt At the losse whereof the Soldan of Aegypt with the Saracens in those parts were so astonished that they offered the Christians the possession of Ierusalem and the holy Land which the Christians so much contended for prouiding they would render vnto them againe the Towne of Damiata But the Earle of Artoys the kings brother puft vp with insolent pride would in no waies suffer the offers of the Saracens to be accepted but required also Alexandria the chiefe Metropolitan towne of Aegypt to be deliuered vnto them But soone after the Soldan of Aegypt beset them so stronglie both by Sea and Land that they were glad to craue againe the peace which was offered and could not obtaine it In the ende they were purposed to leaue a Garrison to keepe Damiata and to march out in battell themselues The Earle of Artoys through his insolent pride thinking all was his owne whensoeuer he gat any small aduantage of the enemie brought himselfe and all the armie to confusion for he passed ouer a shallow foord of Nilus which a certaine Saracen lately converted to Christ had made knowne and hauing in company with him the Master of the Temple and William Longspath with his companie of English souldiers and diuers others euen the third part of the armie set vpon the Saracens when they were not aware and did them great harme This victorie obtained he would needs goe forward deuiding himselfe from the maine Hoast and besieged the Castle and Village of Mansor But the Saracens finding him separated from the rest of the army compassed him about and destroyed him and all his company in so much that scarce one man escaped aliue except two Templars one Hospitular and one poore Souldier to bring newes thereof to the King After this the Souldan suddenly appeared with multitude of innumerable thousands against the King himselfe In this miserable conflict the King with his two brethren and a few that claue vnto him were taken captiues all the residue were put to the sword or else stood to the mercy of the Saracens whether to bee slaine or remaine in wofull captivity The Souldan after the captivity of the King fraudulently suborned an army of Saracens to the number of the French army with the armes and ensignes of them that were slaine and sent them toward Damiata where the Duke of Burgundie with the French Queene and Odo the Popes Legat and other Bishops and
succeeded Germanion and after Germanion Gordius in whose time Narcissus manifested himself to the Church of Ierusalem who requested him to take his office againe for they reverenced him as a man raised from death to life againe and the punishment of God inflicted vpon his accusers increased their reverence toward him Hee was old and not able to discharge the weighty office of a Bishop therefore Alexander a worthy man was ioyned as fellow labourer with him Eusebius writeth that he was admonished by a celestiall vision of the will of God that hee should bee Bishop of Ierusalem with Narcissus for hee had beene Bishop of another paroach before in Cappadocia by the like celestiall vision Narcissus and other of the Clergie were admonished that the day next following a Bishop should enter into Ierusalem whom God had appointed to be an helper to Narcissus Hee defended Origen against the fury and madnesse of Demetrius Bishop of Alexandria who set both himselfe and others to great busines for a matter of no importance as is sayd In the persecution of Decius he was carryed to Caesâ—rea closed in a darke prison and dyed a Martyr as hath beene declared Alexander is supposed to haue been the 35. Bishop of Ierusalem Mazabanes Hymeneus Lebdas Thermon all these followed Alexander Bishops of Alexandria IN Alexandria to Philetus and Demetrius succeeded Heraclas the twelfth Bishop of that towne Hee was disciple to Origen and a fellow labourer with him in gouerning the Schoole of Alexandria in the end hee was chosen to bee Bishop of Alexandria whose successor was Dionysius the thirteenth Bishop whom God delivered miraculously from the hands of persecuters in the dayes of Decius by the sudden assault of a number of people who had beene at a mariage feast When they heard that Dionysius was taken by souldiers and led away to Taposiris they arose from table and followed with a speedy pace with a tumultuary voice so that the souldiers who had Dionysius in keeping were afraid and fled and so Dionysius by the great providence of God was delivered out of the hands of his enemies After him Maximus Theonas Petrus a Martyr vnder Dioclesian and Achillas were Bishops of Alexandria Bishops of Antiochia AFter Serapion succeeded Asclepiades the ninth Bishop of Antiochia of whom Alexander Bishop of Ierusalem being the prisoner of Christ in Caesarea wrote vnto the people of Antiochia that it was a comfort to him and it made his imprisonment and bonds the more easie that hee heard it reported that Asclepiades a man well exercised in the true faith by the providence of God was made Bishop of Antiochia Philetus was the tenth Zebenus the eleventh and Babylas was the twelfth Bishop of Antiochia of whom Eusebius recordeth that hee dyed in prison like as Alexander Bishop of Ierusalem ended his life in prison both the one and the other suffered such kinde of martyrdome vnder the persecution of Decius In the Catalogue of Emperours catholicke Bishops and Heretiques subioyned to the Ecclesiasticall History of Theodoretus wee reade that Babylas Bishop of Antiochia would not suffer Decius to enter into the Temple wherein Christians were convened and that before hee was beheaded hee gaue direction to burie with his bodie the chaine also wherewith his bodie had beene bound as a funerall ornament of his buried body But Eusebius deserueth best credite who affirmeth that hee dyed in prison and maketh no mention of his beheading Some imagine that hee who died in prison and hee who was beheaded were both Bishops of Antiochia but living in different ages yet seeing the Catalogue aforesaid speaketh of this suffering vnder the Emperour Decius it is more probable that there is some ouersight in the writer of the Catalogue To Babylas succeeded Fabius Hee was entangled with the error of Novatus but was reclaymed againe by the vigilant travails of Dionysius Bishop of Alexandria Demetrianus a married man was successor to Fabius Paulus Samosatenus a pestilent Heretique was the fifteenth Bishop of Antiochia Domnus the sonne of Demetrian the sixteenth Timeus the seventeenth Cyrillus the eighteenth and Tyrannus the ninteenth Bishop of Antiochia The names of the Bishops of Rome Alexandria and Antiochia were the more accurately obserued and registred after the Councell of Nice albeit I recite them before because it happened in that generll Councell that for timous suppressing of heresies the Bishoppes of these places were called Patriarches and had power to convocate Councels within their owne bounds for suppressing of Heretiques Alwayes it fell out farre contrary to the expectation of holy fathers for the Patriarches were the chiefe protectors of heresie as the historie of the subsequent Centuries euidently declareth Neuerthelesse in this Centurie beside those men of God aboue mentioned nothing inferior in spirituall graces to the Bishops of Rome Alexandria Antiochia and Ierusalem there were many worthy men in other places such as Fâ—rmilianus Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia a man familiarly acquainted with Origen Gregorius and Athenodorius brethren and Pastours in Pontus Helenus in Tarsus and Nicomas in Iconium Theotectus in Caesarea Palestinae Maximus in Bostra Eusebius and Anatholius Bishops of Laodicea Quirinus Bishop of Scesiana or as others call it Scescania a worthy martyr about whose necke a milstone was hanged as hath beene before declared I make an end of this second head with the greater gladnesse that I perceiue the litle stone hewed out of the mountaine without hands to be waxing and growing to the bignesse of a great mountaine replenishing the whole earth euen in the time of most horrible persecutions CENTVRIE IIII. Bishops of Rome AFter Eusebius Miltiades gouerned the Romane Church 4. yeeres 7. months and 8. dayes His ministration was in the dayes of the raigne of Constantine to whom the Emperour remitted the controuersie betwixt Cecilianus and the Donatistes to bee judged by him and his Collegues Rheticus Maternus and Marinus The Donatistes would not rest vpon the determination of Miltiades and his Collegues And therefore the good Emperour appointed this cause of new againe to be judged in Arles by a number of Bishops of Spaine Italie and France In the Councell of Arles Cecilianus was likewise absolued and the Donatistes againe succumbed in their probation Notwithstanding they appealed to the Emperour Constantine and when the Emperour heard the cause of Cecilianus pleaded before himselfe the Donatists could not proue that either Cecilianus had beene admitted Bishop of Carthage by a man who was Proditor or yet that he had admitted any other man culpable of the like fault to an Ecclesiasticall office If the Bishop of Rome had bin supreame Iudge in all Ecclesiasticall causes Constantine had done him wrong to appoint other Iudges to iudge in this cause after the B. of Rome and his Collegues had giuen out their definitiue sentence His ordinance concerning prohibition of fasting vpon the Lords day expedient at
King of Gothes compelled the Clergie to subscribe to his election hee governed the Church of Rome at that time when Iustinian sent Belisarius to fight against Vitiges Theodora the Emperour Iustinians wife sent to Silverius desiring him that he would condiscend to the restitution of Anthemius an Eutychian Heretique and to the deposition of Menas Bishop of Constantinople Silverius refused to obey such impious commandements Therefore Theodora sendeth a commandement to Belisarius to banish Silverius and to appoynt Vigilius Bishop of Rome who had promised to fulfill her desires Thus was Silverius banished to the Isle of Pontia after hee had ruled the Church of Rome one yeere and fiue moneths Vigilius succeeded Silverius and ruled seventeene yeeres and six and twenty dayes His entry to this office is inexcusable for by open force secret bribes and promises to performe the impious desires of the Empresse hee obtained the chaire of Rome so that Onuphrius cannot finde out an excuse for his vnlawfull entry Theodora the Empresse vrged him to performe his promise and to restore Anthemius But Vigilius as appeared repenting of his great temeritie and rashnesse answered that evill promises were not to be kept for this cause hee was led away violently to Constantinople and a cord was fastned about his necke and he was drawne through the streets and cast into prison hee endured all this contempt the more patiently because hee confessed that for his sinnes hee had deserved greater punishment at the hands of God then this man In the end hee was delivered out of prison by the earnest request of Narses Captaine of Iustinians army in Italy but hee dyed by the way and hee whom so many cares could not destroy the sicknesse of the travell destroyed him at Sicrlâ—e and his bodie was transported to Rome and buryed there But now let vs consider the fondnesse of Baronius who keepeth no measure in his Historie but as the Poet speaketh of a Ship rossed with a vehement tempest Tollimur in coelum subtato gurgite idem Subducta ad manes imos descendinâ—us vnda When Baronius speaketh of the entry of Vigilius he calleth him a thiefe a brigand a man who entred not by the doore of the sheep-fold a false Bishop an Antichrist yet soone after hee calleth him the Vicar of Christ as though by the crueltie whereby he draue his predecessor Siluerius to death he were worthy of the name of the Vicar of Christ. Albeit hee restored not Athemius according to his impious paction with Theodora yet hee wrote vnto the Heretiques Anthemius Theodosius and Severus and confirmed their error by his secret missiue letters as Morenus in his booke called Misterium iniquitatis prooveth His cariage in the fift generall Councell hee being present in the towne of Constantinople shall be declared God willing in its owne place the cord that was lapped about his neck and drew him through the streets of Constantinople could not draw out of his proud stomacke the conceite of supremacie for hee sent his opinion in writing to the Councell but would not bee present to sit in a lower place then Eutychius Bishop of Constantinople and Moderator of the Councell After Vigilius succeeded Pelagius the first hee ruled the Church of Rome eleven yeares twelue moneths and twenty eight dayes In a very perillous time this charge was committed to him namely when the Nation of the Goâ—â—s had chosen Toulâ— to bee their King who was a fierce and cruell man and was called for his fiercenesse Flagellum Dei that is the scourge of God hee led a great army from Tarvisium through Italy destroying and wasting the countrey whithersoever hee went but hee set his face chiefly against Campania By the way hee addressed himselfe in the habite of a simple souldier to mount Cassinates where was Saint Benedict the father of Monkes not because he invented the Monasticke life but because the most part of Monks adhered to the forme invented by him hee was but lately sprung vp in the dayes of the Emperour Iustinus the elder and of Pope Iohn the first yet was his name in great account so that Totilas in a disguised habite went vnto him and conferred with him Platina writeth that Saint Benedict knew him notwithstanding of his deepe dissimulation and with terrifying words disswaded him form vsing cruelty against Christians The counsell was good but Totilus was not obedient vnto it He was slaine in battell by Narses neere to Brixellum and Teias whom the Gothes chose in his roome was slaine in battell at Nuceria so the Kingdome of the Gothes in Italy was vtterly vndone by the valour of Narses After the first comming of Theodoricus into Italy they raigned in Italy seventy two yeeres Now their name dominion and all their might is vtterly quenched Pelagius depended much vpon the friendship of Narses And when Macedonius Bishop of Aquileia died Honoratus Bishop of Millan ordained Paulinus to be his successor Pelagius Bishop of Rome grieved at this Neverthelesse hee complaineth not to Narses that Paulinus was Bishop of Aquileia without his consent but rather because this was done without the foreknowledge of the most noble Emperour Iustinian who like as he had delivered Istria and Venice from the grievous bondage of Totilas so likewise it became them to expect the Emperours answere before they had appointed a Bishoppe in Aquileia Marke the hypocrisie of the Bishops of Rome vnder colour of obedience to the civill Magistrate secretly creeping to their owne soveraignty the chiefe marke whereat they continually aymed Iohn the third succeeded Pelagius and governed twelue yeers eleven moneths and twenty six dayes In the dayes of Iustinus the younger who was successor to the Emperour Iustinian did he minister in the Roman Church and at that time when Alboinus King of the Longobards came into Italie with a great army with their wiues and children and setled their aboad in that part of Italy which lyeth about the river Padus The Empresse Sophia had irritated Narses that valiant captaine with contumelious words and he gaue to her and to the estate of the Empire this hard meeting that hee possessed the Longobards in Italy weaving a web vnto her according as hee promised which shee was not able all her time to vndoe againe The Deputy of the Emperour of Constantinople kept a part of Italy which was not conquered by the Lombards and this was called Exarchatus Ravennae and the Bishop of Rome with the assistance of the countrey kept Rome free from the dominion of the Lombards for a short time At this time did Iohn the 3. governe the church of Rome He brought in new constitutions into the church that Chorepiscopi otherwise called Vicarij Episcoporum would haue no power at all of imposition of hands which constitution he confirmed with a foolish reason because none of the 70 disciples whom Christ adioyned as helpers to the Apostles had power by imposition of hands
one and the selfe-same cause were they both despised and hated of Caius because they would not giue vnto him diuine honors by building Temples and Altars and offering sacrifice to new Iupiter Caius and swearing by his name First concerning Ierusalem hee had sent Petronius to be Deputy in Iudea with commandement to dedicate the Temple of Ierusalem to Iupiter Caius and to set vp his image in the Temple The Iewes were more willing to die then to see the Temple of their God polluted Petronius advertised the Emperour of the grievance of the Iewes but before his letters came into the hands of Caius somewhat interveened that both disappointed the purpose of Caius and also incensed his heart with fury and rage against his Deputy Petrâ—nius At what time Herod Agrippa was at Rome whom afterward the Angell of God smote at Caesarea so that hee was consumed with wormes hee was exceedingly beloved of Caius because in the dayes of Tiberius hee had beene cast in prison and bound with bands for the loue hee carryed to Caius in so farre that Caius invited Agrippa vpon a certaine time to a banquet and bade him aske what hee pleased and it should be granted Agrippaes petition was this that Caius would suffer the Nation of the Iewes to liue according to their owne lavve Caius was moued somewhat with this vnexpected petition yet partly for his excessiue loue toward Agrippa also left hee should seeme to them which fate at table to be a promise-breaker the petition is granted But the venome of his indignation against the Iewes hee poured out against Petronius because that by lingring in executing his commandement occasion was offered to Agrippa to present this foresayd petition The letter of Caius sent to his Deputy was cruell and bloody the like whereof was seldom heard because hee fulfilled not the Emperours desire he is commanded to giue out sentence of death against his owne life and to be both iudge and burrio to himselfe Such mercy was in this new Iupiter Caius Before I write any thing of his cruelty against the Iewes that dwelt in Alexandria it is a meet place to admonish the Reader of the hypocrisie and counterfait holinesse of Herod Agrippa who seemed both in the dayes of Caius and also in the dayes of the Emperour Claudius to bee a patterne of godlinesse preferring at the banquet of Caius the liberty of the people of God and the inviolable observation of the Law of God to all the riches that the liberality of an affectioned Emperour could be able to afford In Claudius dayes hee sayled from Italy to Iudea hee acknowledged God to be the author of his deliverance from prison and bands and offered a chaine of gold to bee hung vp in the Temple of Ierusalem in testimony that hee receiued that benefit with a thankfull mind out of the Lords hands In outward things hee was a builder of the wals of Ierusalem vntill the emulous envie of Marsus or envious emulation the hinderer of all good workes compelled him to desist and to leaue the worke imperfited For all this outward shew of holinesse the lessons of Caius whom he loued beyond all things never left him till his last breath Caius desired to be counted a god so did Agrippa in Caesarea delight when his Oration was called the voyce of God and not of man Caius persecuted the Iewes without a cause so did Herod Agrippa the Christians Caius the higher hee advanced himselfe the greater was his fall the like also happened to Agrippa So pernitious a thing is vngodly company burning their associats with their fire or else blacking them with their smoke and hurtfull every manner of way In the towne of Alexandria the Grecians contended against the Iewes both parties sent Ambassadors to Rome the Grecians sent Appion the Iewes sent Philo a very prudent and learned man Appion with flattering words insinuated himself in the fauour of the Emperor Caius accused the Iewes that they neither builded temples nor offered sacrifice to the honor of Caius as the Grecians did Philo was ready to answer but Caius ruled with affection rather then with reason caused Philo to be thrust out of his palace and would not hearken vnto him In these two mirrors we may see the cruell disposition of this Emperor whose dependers were persecuters of Christians like as he himself was a persecuter of the Iewes If any good turne fell into his hand it was rather by accident then of purpose to glorifie God or to punish sin he banished Herod Antipas who beheaded Iohn the Baptist his wife Herodias that incestuous harlot who ended their liues in penury and misery in Lyons of France But all this was done for the fauor of Agrippa but not for detestation of murther incest In end Caius was slaine by his owne servants Chereas Lupus whom the Emperour Claudius afterward punished vnto death This new Iupiter I count him to haue been in worse case then old Iupiter the son of Saturne albeit both of them died yet the one after his death was counted a god but the other after his death was counted a diuell Claudius CLaudius raigned thirteene yeares eight months Hee ratified the gift of the kingdome of Iudea bestowed by his predecessor Caius vpon Herod Agrippa and added thereto all the dominions of Herod Antipas whom Caius had banished This Herod Agrippa when hee returned from Italy to Iudea builded the walles of Ierusalem sparing for no cost so high and strong that if the worke had not been hindered by the procurement of Marsus Governour of Syria he had made them impregnable Hee was not so carefull to build the walles of the spirituall Ierusalem for hee beheaded the holy Apostle S. Iames the brother of Iohn and did cast Peter into prison whom the Lord miraculously deliuered This Herod and the Iewes made hauocke of the glory of God and blood of his Saints For he gratified them by shedding the blood of the Apostles of Christ and againe they gratified him by giuing him the glorie that appertained to God alone For which cause he was stricken by the Angel of God consumed with wormes In this Emperour Claudius dayes the famine foretolde by the Prophet Agabus afflicted the world One of the causes of this plague doubtlesse was the manifold abuses of the creatures of God in the middes of the aboundance of bread the contempt of the poore which faultes were so vniuersally ouerspread in the world that some of the Emperours themselues were not free of the foule spot of intemperancie as the scoffing speeches of the people did witnesse in stead of Claudius Tiberius Nero calling the Emperour Caldius Biberius Mero This is referred to the successour of Augustus In the yeere of our Lord 48. and in the sixt yeere of the reigne of Claudius as Chytraeus reckoneth was gathered that famous Councill of Ierusalem described
of God who would not for gaining of their liues once fashion themselues according to the similitude of Idolaters in outward and externall things Tertulian in his booke de corona militis declareth that true Christian souldiers abhorred from setting a garland of flowers vpon their heads when they received wages for their painfull seruice in warfare because it was the habit of Idolaters who sacrificed to Iupiter O happy men of God whose vertues the dead colours of Painters cannot represent and the festered manners of this corrupt age cannot imitate When shall the fresh oyle of the grace of God bee powred into our lampes that the light of our faith patience and constant perseverance may shine clearely to the world as theirs did The occasion of this great persecution of Nero was his owne barbarous and cruell fact hee caused the towne of Rome to be set on fire which wasted the buildings of the towne for the space of sixe dayes and to eschew the vile infamy of this barbarous fact hee layde the blaine vpon the Christians and gaue forth edicts and commandements to to persecute them to the death Nero was so hatefull an aduersary to all righteousnesse that Eusebius following the example and words of Tertullian affirmeth that if the Gospell had not beene an excellent good thing it had not been condemned by Nero. It is supposed that Peter was crucified and Paul was beheaded at Rome in the time of this persecution If this be true the very dead bones of Peter and Paul are witnesses against the Romane Church if they continue not in the same faith that Peter and Paul sealed vp with their blood The estate of the Iewes vnder Nero was very hard in respect of the oft change of the Romane Deputies For in Neroes time continued Felix for a space whom the Emperour Claudius had sent to Iudea and after him Festus Albinus and Florus This last Deputy was fashioned according to the similitude of the manners of Nero his Master and the Proverb holdeth true in Nero and Florns Such man such master In the time that Felix was Deputy a certaine Egyptian man pretending to be a Prophet and promising great things perswaded foure thousand of the Iewes to follow after him but Felix sent forth companies of horsemen and footmen who slew foure hundreth of the people that followed the Egyptian and tooke two hundreth of them aliue the rest were scattered but the seducing Prophet escaped and could not be found When Festus was Deputy King Agrippa heard the Apology of Paul and sayd that in a part Paul perswaded him to be a Christian. This Agrippa I say the sonne of Herod whom the Angell of God slewe was advanced to great honours by the Emperour Claudius as his father had beene before him by the fauour of Caius and he possessed not onely his fathers dominions but also the Tetrarchy of Iturea and Trachonitis sometime belonging to Philip the sonne of Herod the great His might and riches procured trouble to the Nation of the Iewes He had a palace situate vpon the West-side of the Temple of Ierusalem and in regard it was builded vpon a mountaine he had a delectable prospect of the towne of Ierusalem yet not content with this hee mounted vp the walles of the Palace by a new building so high that they who were in the Palace might haue seene the Altar and sacrifices of the Iewes offered in the inner court which at that time was called Atrium Iudaorum This doing grieved the hearts of the Iewes They on the other part to cut off the sight of those who dwelt in the Palace from beholding their sacrifices raysed vp the wall of the inner court on the West-side to such eminency that no man could behold the sacrifices of the Iewes from the Palace King Agrippa and Festus with authority commanded the Iewes to demolish their new builded wall In end this matter was referred to the Emperour Nero who being solicited by his wife Poppea gratified the Iewes in this poynt and compelled them not to cast downe their wall Festus died in Iudea and Albinus was sent to be Deputie in Iudea Ananus was the high Priest of the Iewes in those dayes and finding opportunity of time to practice the malice of his heart against Iames the sonne of Alpheus furnanamed Iustus an holy Apostle and kinsman of our Lord Iesus When Albinus was vpon his iourney and had not as yet arriued neither to the coasts of Egypt nor of Iudea this Ananus I say caused Iames furnamed Iustus and the brother of our Lord to bee stoned to death Eusebius writeth that he was throwne down from the pinacle of the Temple This cruelty of Ananus albeit it displeased both King Agrippa and Albinus the Deputy of the Romans and the people of Ierusalem yet wicked men are wiser in their owne generation then the children of light and Ananus sawe that if hee had lingred vntill the Romane Deputy had arriued hee could not haue procured the death of a man counted so inst and so welbeloved of the people as the Apostle Iames was It is to be marked that Eusebius in the forementioned place describeth the Martyrdome of Iames furnamed Iustus before the edict of the persecution of Nero after which folloshed the martyrdome of Peter and Paul in the 12. yeere of Nero his raigne neuerthelesse the Romane Church had forged Epistles decretall whereinto Clemens Bishop of Rome writeth to Iames furnamed Iustus after the death of Peter What credit these decretall Epistles deserue it shall be declared hereafter God willing But Florus who succeded to Albinus was an avaritious and cruell man hee exhausted the treasure that was in the Temple and tooke out of it sixteene talents of siluer And when the Iewes at Ierusalem murmured against him hee came to the towne in great wrath and permitted the souldiers to slay and to spoyle the Citizens of Ierusalem at their pleasure Likewise he afflicted with vnaccustomed cruelty men of noble birth by scourging and crucifying them This was the ground of the warre betweene the Romanes and the Iewes wherein Ierusalem came to that lamentable ruine foretold by our Saviour Christ. Now to returne to the Emperour himselfe and forme of his death After he had raigned 13. yeares and eight moneths the Senate of Rome proclaimed him to bee an enemy to mankind and condemned him to be whipped with wands to the death and to be harled through the City For feare of which punishment he was forced to flie and by slaying of himselfe made an end of his most wretched life Iustin. Vespatian AFter Nero Otto Vitellius and Galba contended for the Empire and were all hastily cut off and made out of the way and Flavianus Vespatian was chosen Emperour by the Roman Arny he reigned ten yeares The Nation of the Iewes at this time for the most part was given ouer into a reprobate minde according as it was
foretold by the Prophet Zacharie Then sayd I I will not feed you that that dieth let it die and that that perisheth let it perish and let the remnant every one eate the flesh of his neighbour Like as the intollerable cruelty of Flerus had irritat the Nation of the Iewes even so on the other side the vnsupportable obstinacy of the Iewes had incensed the wrath of the Romanes against them They were now become so head-strong that they reiected the sacrifice that was wont to be offered for Caesar. The calamity of the Iewes who dwelt in Alexandria and in Damascus was but the beginning of sorrowes fifty thousand Iewes were slaine in Alexandria ten thousand in Damascus Besides this many signes and wonders both in heauen and earth did proclaime their future desolation and destruction A Comet was seene in heauen hanging ouer the towne of Ierusalem for the space of a yeare and having the similitude of a sword in the Temple at the mid time of the night a cleare light was seene shining round about the Altar in brightnes not vnlike vnto the light of the day and the great brasen port of the Temple opened of it owne accord about the sixt houre of the night chariots of fire were seene compassing townes and a voyce was heard in the Sanctuary warning to flit and to transport with many other fearfull signes and wonders But a people senslesse whose eyes were dimme whose eares were dull of hearing whose heart was fatte and locked vp by Satan in infidelity they could take no warning of the wrath to come because the Lord was minded to destroy them Flavius Vespatian and his sonne Titus Vespatian leading an army of threescore thousand armed men from Ptolemaida besieged the townes of Galilee and Trachonitis so many as would not willingly bee subiect to the Romanes the townes of Gadara Tiberias Iotopata Tarithea Gamala all these were brought vnder the reverence of Vespatian and Iosephus who had beene lurking in a caue after the towne of Iotopata was conquered was taken aliue and kept in bands by the Romans hee foretold that Vespatian should be Emperour and saluted him Caesar and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 while Nero was yet aliue When this prophecie came to passe indeed and hee was chosen to bee Emperour hee sent for Iosephus and commanded that he should be loosed from bands but Titus his sonne thought more expedient that his bands should bee cut off from him rather then loosed to the end he might be counted a worthy man who never deserved captivity nor bands Flavius Vespatian returned to Rome and left behinde him his sonne Titus to subdue the Iewes and to besiege the towne of Ierusalem but the Christians who dwelt at Ierusalem were warned by God to depart out of the towne of Ierusalem so they left it and dwelt beyond Iordan in a towne of Decapolis called Pela Separation of the corne from the chaffe goeth before the vnquenchable fire wherewith the chaffe shall bee burnt Titus beganne to besiege Ierusalem in the first yeare of the reigne of his father at the time when the people were gathered to celebrate the feast of the Passeouer The terror of the sword of the Romanes without the feare of mercilesse brigands within the bowels of the towne prevailing the shewer of the dead wanting the honour of buriall infecting the aire and devouring the living with contagious sicknesse the violent plague of famine breaking assunder the bands of nature and constraining women to eate the birth of their owne bellies All these calamities seased vpon them at once in the iust iudgement of God They despised the Father of eternity and the Prince of peace and sayd to Pilate Wee haue no King but Caesar. Now they finde that the mercies of Caesar were cruell and his sonne Titus who was commended in all mens mouthes as meeke mercifull liberall and eloquent and was called Amor delitiae humani generis that is The loue and most dainty thing of all mankinde yet God made him a terrible scourge to the Nation of the Iewes who forsooke the Lord Iesus and preferred Caesar vnto him In Scripture wee reade of many great viols of the wrath of God powred downe vpon vnrighteous men but these are greatest that resemble by most liuely representation the great condemnation of the wicked at the last day such as the flood of Noe the ouerthrow of Sodome and destruction of Ierusalem The flood of Noe was vniuersall and sudden so shall be the condemnation of vngodly men at the last day The overthrow of Sodome and Gomorrha was a destruction vnsupportable and the more meet to bee an example of the vengeance of eternall fire The destruction of Ierusalem and the forerunning tokens thereof are so mixed with the tokens preceeding the condemnation of the great day that it may bee clearely perceiued that God hath appointed the one to be a type and figure of the other So oft as we call to remembrance the flood of Noe the overthrow of Sodom and the destruction of Ierusalem let vs feare stand in awe to fall into the condemnation of vngodly men because all the terrors of these iudgements concurre and are massed together in the iudgement of the last day What are the deepe wells of water what are the shoures of fire and brimstone what is famine pest and sword both intestine and forraine in comparison of that worme that never dieth and that fire that shall never be quenched and the blacknesse of darknes with weeping and gnashing of teeth c It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God Concerning the number of them that were slaine in Galilee Trachonitis Samaria and Iudea chiefly in the Metropolitane towne Ierusalem over and besides those that were sold to be slaues and those that were deuoured by wild beasts in the triumph of Flavius and Titus at Rome reade Iosephus de bello Iud. lib. 6. cap. 45. Titus AFter Flavius raigned Titus Vespatian his sonne two yeares two months twenty dayes The Nation of the Iewes being now subdued there was great peace in all parts of the Romane dominions both by sea and land and the Temple of Ianus in Rome was closed and locked vp againe Domitian FFlavius Domitian was associate to his brother Titus in government during his life time and after his death was his successor Hee raigned 15. yeares Hee was proud like Nero and persecuted innocent Christians as hee did so prone and bent is our corrupt nature to sinne and to follow evill examples Now againe the Church of Christ militant vpon the earth must learne obedience by suffering and must giue a proofe before the world that the Covenant of God is written in the tables of her heart and so deeply ingraved by the finger of God that no tribulation anguish persecution famine nakednesse nor death itselfe can separate her from the loue of Christ. The members of the
Church were the good Merchants of whom Christ speaketh who having found a pearle of vnspeakeable value were content to sell all they had for loue of gaining it they had tasted of the Well of water springing vp into eternall life and thirsted not againe for the water that cannot satisfie the heart of man with ful contentment In this second great persecution the beloved disciple of Christ the Apostle Iohn was banished to the Isle of Patmos for the word of God Flavia Domicilla a woman of noble birth in Rome was banished to Pontia an Isle lying ouer against Caieta in Italy Protasius and Gervasius were martyred at Millain concerning the miracle wrought at their sepulchres God willing wee shall speake in the third Century and in the Treatise of Reliques Chytraus writeth that Timothie was stoned to death at Ephesus by the worshippers of Diana and that Dionysius Areopagita was slaine by the sword at Pareis Domitian had heard some rumors of the Kingdome of Christ and was afraid as Herod the great had beene after the Nativity of our Lord but when two of Christ kinsmen according to the flesh the Nephewes of the Apostle Iude were presented before him and hee perceived them to be poore men who gained their living by handy labour and when hee had heard of them that Christs Kingdome was not of this world but it was spirituall and that hee would come at the latter day to iudge the quick and the dead he despised them as simple and contemptible persons and did them no harme In the end as the life of Domitian was like vnto the life of Nero so was he not vnlike vnto him in his death for his owne wife and friends conspired against him and slew him his body was carried to the graue by porters and buried without honour The Senate of Rome also decreed that his name should bee rased and all his acts should bee rescinded Sueton. in Dom. Ierom. catal script eccles Nerva COccius Nerua after Domitian raigned one yeare foure moneths And hitherto all the Emperours that ruled were borne in Italy from henceforth strangers doe rule for Traian the adoptiue sonne of Nerva his successor was borne in Spaine Nerva redressed many things that were done amisse by Domitian and in his time the Apostle Iohn was relieued from banishment and returned againe to Ephesus where he died CENTVRIE II. Traianus TRaian the adopted sonne of Nerva was the first stranger who obtained that honour to bee King of the Romanes Hee raigned 19. yeares 6. moneths A man so exceeding well beloved of the Senate and of the people of Rome that after his dayes whensoever a new Emperour was elected they wished vnto him the good successe of Augustus and the vprightnesse of Traianus Notwithstanding of this hee was a cruell persecuter of Christians And this third persecution is iustly counted greater then the two preceeding persecutions To other afflictions now is added contempt and shame It was no great dishonour to bee hated of Nero and Domitian wicked men and haters of righteousnes but to bee hated and persecuted by Traian a man counted a patterne of vpright dealing this was a great rebuke Notwithstanding Christians looked to Iesus the author and finisher of their faith who for the ioy that was set before him endured the crosse and despised the shame and is set at the right hand of the throne of God Many haue more patiently endured paine in their flesh then shame and contempt in the world but Christs true Disciples must resolue to be a gazing stocke to all the world and to bee counted the off-scourings of the earth as the holy men of God did in the dayes of the Emperour Traian These were Citizens of heauen liuing in earthly tabernacles liuing vpon the earth but not fashioned according to the similitude of this world In doing great things by faith they surpassed mighty Monarches In patient suffering of evill they over-went admired Plilosophers In this persecution Simon the sonne of Cleopas an holy Apostle suffered martyrdome being now an hundreth and twenty yeares old hee was first scourged and then crucified but all this rebuke hee most patiently suffered for the name of Christ. Of Ignatius martyrdome wee haue spoke in the first Century the time of his suffering was in the time of Traianus Plinie the second Deputy in Bithynia breathing threatnings against innocent Christians persecuted great numbers of them to death In the end he was commoued and troubled in his owne mind cosidering both the number patient suffring of christians that were put to death he wrote to the Emperour declaring that Christians were men of good conversation and detested murther adultery and such other vngodlinesse onely they had conventions earely in the morning and they sang Psalmes to the honour of Christ whom they worshipped as God but they would not worship images here marke the portrait of the Ancient Apostolike Church and what conformity the Romane Church in our dayes hath with it the Lord knoweth This letter of Plinius mitigated the Emperours wrath in a part yet gaue hee no absolute commandement to stay the persecution but onely that the Iudges should not search them out narrowly but if any happened to bee presented before them then let them bee punished What confusion was in this edict it is well marked by Tertullian the one part of it repugneth to the other In forbidding to search them out narrowly hee declareth their innocency but in commanding to punish them when they were presented hee pronounceth them to bee guilty This is that Emperour for whose soule Gregory the first made supplications to God 400. yeares after his death and was heard of God as Damacen writeth This superstitious Monke of the descent of Saracens blood if he supposed Gregory to be so full of charity that hee prayed for the soule of one persecuting Emperour why would he not bring him in praying also for all the ten persecuting Emperours to the end that they being all delivered from the condemnation of hell heaven might be counted a mansion both for Christs true Disciples and also for Christs hatefull and impenitent enemies Adrianus AFter Traian AElius Adrianus raigned 21. yeares In his time Aristides and Quadratus the one a Bishoppe the other an Orator at Athens wrote learned apologies in defence of Christian Religion and did so mitigate the Emperours minde that in his time no new commandement was set forth to persecute Christians Barcochebas at this time perverted the Nation of the Iewes and called himselfe the promised Messias whom the foolish Iewes followed to their owne overthrow and destruction Tynius Rufus Deputy in Iudea besieged this man in Bethera a towne not farre distant from Ierusalem and destroyed him with all his adherents Also the whole Nation of the Iewes was banished from their natiue soyle and the towne of Ierusalem was taken from the Iewes and delivered to other Nations
thirteene yeares Hee delighted to haue about him wife and learned Counsellers such as Fabius Sabinus Domitius Vlpianus c. This renowned Lawyer Vlpianus was not a friend to Christians but by collecting together a number of lawes made against Christians in times past hee animated the hearts of Iudges against them And this is a piece of the rebuke of Christ that Christians haue borne continually to be hated of the wise men of the world Hereof it came to passe that in this Emperours time albeit hee was not so bloody as many others had beene before him and therefore his Empire was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is vnbloody yet not a few suffered martyrdom even in the daies of Alexander such as Agapetus a young man of fifteene yeares old at Praeneste a towne of Italie hee was assayed with many torments and finally with the sword he was beheaded The Iudge who gaue out sentence of death against him fell out of his iudiciall seat and suddenly dyed The martyrdome of Cecilia if by her trauells Valerian her espoused husband and Tiburtius his brother and 400. moe had beene converted to Christ and secretly baptized by Vrbanus Bishop of Rome immediatly before her death I marvell that no mention should bee made by Eusebius of such a rare and miraculous worke Senators and noble men at Rome such as Pammachius Simplicius and Quiritius with their wiues and children died for the faith of Christ with many others The favour that this Emperour shewed to Christians against whom the very stubbering cookes did contend challenging vnto themselues the right of a place wherein Christians were accustomed to conveene for exercise of divine seruice this favour I say seemeth to haue proceeded from the councell of Mammea his Christian mother rather then from the counsell of Vlpianus that renowned lawyer an hatefull aduersarie to Christians But Mammea his mother hearing the report of the learning of Origen sent for him and by him was instructed in the groundes of Christian faith The learned doctour who wrote the booke of the martyrs very judiciously obserueth the iniquitie of this time whereinto no Christian Churches were erected when as yet notwithstanding of the fauour of the Emperour at some times no publicke house could quietly be obtained for the Christians so that by reason hereof may appeare the decretall epistle of Pope Hyginus concerning the dedication of Churches is forged and fained because the raigne of Alexander is a long time posterior to the dayes of Hyginus who liued vnder the raigne of Antoninus Pius and in the raigne of A lexander as yet there was great difficultie to obteine a place whereinto Christians might assemble together The just deserued punishment of Turinus whom the Emperour caused to bee fastened to a stake in the open market place and thereto be killed with smoke the Herald standing by and crying to the people Smoke he sold and with smoke hee is punished This punishment I say declareth that this Emperour counted flatterers worthy of great punishment Alexander and his mother Mammea were both slaine by his owne souldiers Maximinus AFter Alexander Seuerus Maximinus was Emperour and raigned 3. yeeres A man of base parentage of an huge stature promoted to honours by Alexander who nourished a serpent in his owne bosome as the prouerbe speaketh when he aduanced Maximinus an ingrate foster to great dignities and honours For by his meanes the armie killed Alexander and his mother Mammea and saluted him and his sonne Emperours without aduise of the Romane Senate a man hated of all good men beloued of euill men more grieuous to the citizens of Rome then to their enemies who for hatred of the house of Alexander as Eusebius recordeth raised vp the sixt persecution against Christians specially against the teachers and leaders of the Church thinking the sooner to vanquish the rest if the Captaines and guiders of them were made out of the way Origen at this time wrote a booke de martyrie and dedicated it to Ambrosius and Protectetus pastors of the Church of Caesarca because these two vnder this persecution had susteined great afflictions and constantly perseuered in the true faith No persecution was more violent no persecution endured shorter time In no persecution are the names of suffering martyrs so obscured and couered with silence possibly because the booke of Origen de martyrio through injurie of time is not to be found therefore some learned men doe referre the martyrdome of such as we haue spoken of in the dayes of Alexander to this time or to the persecution of Decius I will not dispute of such doubtsome things Three other things that are more necessarie to the edification of the Church I will touch First the malice of the deuill who hateth the welfare of the sheepfold of Christ and laboureth either to spoyle it of true Pastors or to send in among them poore sheepe hyrelings and men not regarding the wellfare of the flock but their own gaine or else if they haue true Pastors to mooue the flocke to be disobedient to faithfull and vigilant Pastors The stocke that can eschew all these three snares of the deuill and all these three wofull calamities so oft seasing vpon the poore sheepefolde they are in good estate Reade Chrysostome writing vpon the 13. chap. Heb. ver 17. Another thing is worthie to be marked that in three great persecutions in the fift sixt and seuenth Origen a man more renowmed in his life time then after his death God vouchsafed vpon him two great honours but not the third whereof he was most of all desirous He encouraged his father Leonides and his disciples Plutarchus two Sâ—reni Heron and Heraclides patiently to suffer martyrdome in the dayes of Seuerus Next hee wrote a booke de martyrio in the daies of Maximinus the sixt persecuter whereby doubtlesse many were incouraged patiently to suffer euill for Christs sake What remaineth now but the third and principall honour of martyrdome it selfe wherevnto he had a bent desire in the dayes of Decius the 7. persecuter but then he fainted as shall be declared hereafter God willing When we call to minde this weakenes of Origen let all the cogitations of our heartes stoope and thinke that we are not meete for great things but if the Lord call vs to suffer great things for his Names sake the Lord perfite his strength in our infirmitie and weakenesse Thirdly let vs marke the great difference that is betweene the volume of the booke of holy canonicke and sacred Scripture and all other bookes whatsoeuer In Scripture the ouerpassing of matters of great importance and moment is not for ignorance misknowledge or doubting of those things that are ouerslidden but for mysterie and representation of things more necessarie to be knowne as namely when Moses a most accurat writer of the life death and genealogies of holy Patriarches ouerpasseth the description of the genealogie
the insolent pride of this bloody Tyrant It is to be noted that in time of this publicke calamitie Christians and no others but they onely were found to be fraughted with loue and full of charitie euen toward their hatefull enemies The second time whereinto Maximinus seemed to change his minde toward Christians was after the victorie obtained by Constantine and Licinius against Maxentius The said two Emperours set foorth edictes in fauour of the Christians and Maximinus rather fearing Constantine then louing God began in his bounds also to stay the rage of cruell persecution as the letter written to his Deputie Sabinus clearely declareth But after a small time he altered his minde and set foorth new commandements to persecute Christians Yet the Lord pitying the grieuous afflictions of his persecuted Church brought this Tyrant to an ende For hee made warre against Licinius being counselled thereto by his sorcerers and charmers who promised vnto him good successe in his battell against Licinius but the contrarie fell out for hee was discomfited and cast off his imperiall ornaments fledde feeble and naked and mixing himselfe with the effeminat multitude wandering through townes and lurking in villages hardly escaped the hands of his enemies After this he killed and put to death those enchanters and deceiuers who had bewitched him all his dayes and had put him in esperance of victorie in his battell foughten against Licinius and shortly after oppressed with a certaine disease glorified the God of the Christians and made a most absolute law for the safetie and preseruation of them And so the Tyrant of Tyrants by the vehemencie of his sicknesse ended his life After wee haue spoken a litle of Maxentius who was chosen Emperour by the Praetorian souldiers resteth nothing but to conclude this short summe of the historie of the ten persecutions with the ende and death of that notable hypocrite Licinius Maxentius was so villanous in his behauiour that hee abstined not from abusing of the wiues of noble senatours whom he caught violently from their husbands and contumeliously abused them and sent them backe againe The like villanie also hee intended to haue done to a certaine Christian gentlewoman at Rome called Sophronia whose husband neither could nor durst make resistance to the vile appetite of the proud Emperour but this noble woman desiring libertie to goe to her chamber to adorne and decke her selfe a short while and after shee would goe with the messengers to the Emperour shee chused rather to put her selfe to death in her chamber then to be abused by him Which lamentable fact being reported to him he was nothing moued therewith neither abstained he any white from his wonted sinnes The people of Rome being wearie of his villanie sent to Constantine for aide who gathered an armie in France and Brittaine to represse this Tyrant to whom when hee approched he feared Maxentius charmes wherewith hee was supposed to haue vanquished Seuerus whom Galerius Maximinus had sent against him before and stood in doubt what to doe and as hee was doubting hee cast his eyes often to heauen and sawe about the going downe of the sunne a brightnesse in the heauen in the similitude of a Crosse with certaine starres of equall bignesse giuing this inscription like Latin letters In hoc vince that is in this ouercome After this vision his banner was made in the similitude of a Crosse and caried before him in his warres Maxentius was compelled to issue out of the towne against Constantine whose force when hee was not able to sustaine hee fled and retired in hope to get the citie but was ouerthrowne off his horse about the bridge called Pons Miluius and drowned in the flood Dioclesian hearing tell of the prosperous successe of Constantine and what edicts he had set foorth for the peace of Christians for very griefe hee died Others alledge that he poysoned himselfe Ann. 317. Licinius was made Caesar by Maximinus as is said Hee was very familiar with Constantine and was his colleg in the gouernement 7. yeeres and married Constantina the sister of Constantine Likewise hee concurred with him to subdue the tyrant Maxentius Also he ouercame Maximinus in battell He purposed likewise to haue circumucened and slaine the good Emperour Constantine to whom hee was many wayes greatly addebted but the Lord disappointed his counsells and preserued Constantine to the great benefit and good of his Church But Licinius failing of his purpose conuerted his rage against the Christians notwithstanding he had set out edicts before to procure their peace Hee pretended this quarrell against them that they prayed for the welfare of Constantine and not for his welfare He set foorth against the Christians three cruell edicts 1. Inhibiting assemblies and conuentions of Bishops to consult in matters belonging to their religion 2. He discharged women to resort to the assemblies where men were to pray or to be instructed in matters to religion 3. Hee commanded that no man should visit imprisoned Christians or succour them with any reliefe threatning against those who would disobey such punishment as the imprisoned persons were to suffer After these edicts the mountaines woods and wildernesses began to be the habitation of the Lords saints The Bishops about Libya and Egypt were taken cut in pieces and their flesh cast into the sea to be meat for the fishes And this was done by the flatterers of Licinius supposing to gratifie him by the cruell handling of the Lords seruants In his time were put to death these 40. martyrs of whom Basilius writeth who were set in a pond of water all night lying open to the blasts of cold Northen winds and in the morning they being frozen and almost senslesse with the extremitie of the cold yet were caried vpon carts to be burned with fire to the ende their poore carkeses might feele by experience whether the extremitie of cold or heate were the greater torment Of these 40. noble souldiers of Christ one being stronger then the rest endured the vehemency of the cold better to whom his mother came not to desire him to embrace this present life by a filthy denyall of Christ nor to weepe for the paines of the tormented body of her sonne but rather to exhort her sonne to persevere constantly in the faith of Christ to the end for shee craved licence to lift vp her sonne with her owne hands into the cart admonishing him to accomplish that happy iourney he had begun But whether these were the 40. Martyrs who suffered the like punishment in Sebastia a towne of Armenia or not is not certaine in respect that some circumstances set downe by Basil doe agree to those of Sebastia Likewise in this persecution suffered Barlan a noble man mentioned in a Sermon of Basilius who after many torments was in the end layd vpon the altar whereupon they vsed to offer sacrifice to Idols and while there was some strength in
him and carryed away many captiues and prisoners In redeeming of the captives Mauritius was too niggardly whereby it came to passe that Chaianus slew 12. thousand prisoners which might haue beene ransomed for a small summe of money This oversight of the Emperour not onely stayned other his noble vertues but also purchased the hatred of the souldiers against him wherby it came to passe that they set vp Phocas to bee Emperour in his stead Of this calamity it is thought that Mauritius was foreseene in his dreame and that hee chose rather to bee punished in this world for his faults then in the world to come Afterward he was brought in bands to Phocas his wife and fiue children were cruelly slaine in his owne presence and finally bloody Phocas slew himselfe of whom it is reported that when he saw his wife and children put to death he gaue glory to God in his greatest calamity and said Iust art thou O Lord and righteous in all thy Iudgements CENTVRIE VII Phocas THe heresie of Eutyches continued in this Centurie from the beginning to the end thereof countenanced by the Emperours such as Heraclius and Constans Neverthelesse I haue cut off the Eutychian Persecution at the end of the sixt Centurie because Heraclius albeit hee favoured the error of the Monothelites a branch of Eutyches heresie notwithstanding hee was so employed with warres against the Avares in the West and the Persians and Saracens in the East that hee had not a vacant time to persecute them who professed another faith And Constans began to persecute but was quickly interrupted by new occasion of Sea-warfare against the Saracens wherein also hee was overcome For this cause I haue referred the Eutychian persecution rather to the former Centurie then to this Moreover in this Centurie the vniversall Bishop and the Antichrist beginneth to spring vp so that all the rest of the History must be spent in three heads First in declaring The growth of the Antichrist in the seventh eight and ninth Centuries Secondly in declaring his tyranny and prevailing power over the Romane Emperours and Monarches of the world in the tenth eleventh and twelfth Centuries And finally in declaring his discovery and his battell against the Saints especially against those who discovered him and this shall be done God willing from the thirteenth Century vnto our time In the History I am compelled to be short because it may be read in many Authors Chronologies and Compends whereby it may beâ— sufficiently knowne Phocas after the cruell slaughter of his master Mauritius was proclaimed to be Emperour by the Romaine souldiours in the yeere of our Lord 604. and he raigned 8 yeeres in crueltie drunkennesse lecherie hee surpassed beyond all men justlie was called The calamity of the Romane Empire nothing succeeded prosperouslie with this parricide Cosroes on the East-side the Auares on the West the Slauonians on the North-side inuading Dalmatia and Agilulphus king of Lumbardis in Italie adding vnto his dominion Mantua Cremona and Vulturnia all these at one time weakened the Romane Empire so farre that it could neuer attaine againe to the former strength and splendor that it was wont to haue Great strife had beene betwixt the chaires of Rome and Constantinople for supremacy The Patriarch of Constantinople thought it due to him be cause Constantinople was the seate of the Empire The Patriarch of Rome on the other part said that Constantinople was but a Colonie of Rome and that the Grecians themselues in their Letters called the Emperour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To this controuersie Phocas put an end and ordained Bonifacius the third to be called Vniuersall Bishop and the Church of Rome to bee head of all other Churches This dignitie the Romane Church begged as Platina granteth and not without great conâ—ention obtained it at the handes of Phocas This is that stile which Gregorius the first counted Antichristian in the person of Ioannes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Patriarch of Constantinople In the end Priscus his owne sonne in law Heraclianus the father of Heraclius the Emperour and Phocius whose wife Phocas had vnhonestly abused conspired against him and ouer-came him and brought him to Heraclius who commanded his head feete and secret members to be cut off and the stampe of his bodie was giuen to the souldiers to be burnt with fire Heraclius AFter Phocas raigned Heraclius thirtie yeeres Cosroes king of Persia had mightilie preuailed and had conquered Syria Phenicia and Palestina and had taken Ierusalem and Zacharias the Bishop thereof and the Holie Crosse and had giuen many thousands of Christians to the Iewes to bee slaine Neither would he accept any conditions of peace with Heraclius except hee would condiscend to forsake the worshipping of Christ and worship the Sunne as the Persians did For this cause Heraclius was compelled to make peace with the Auares on his West side and to lead his Army to Asia against the Persians which indured the space of sixe yeares wherein he preuayled against Cosroes and recouered all the Prouinces which Cosroes had taken from the Romane Empire Finallie Cosroes was taken cast in prison and cruellie slaine by his owne son Siroes because he had preferred Medarses his younger sonne to Siroes his elder brother This Siroes made a couenant of peace with Heraclius and deliuered vnto him Zacharias Bishop of Ierusalem with the Holie Crosse and the prisoners whom his father had carried Captiue And so Heraclius in the seuenth yeere returned backe againe to Constantinople with great triumph After this the Emperour being circumuened by Pyrrhus Bishop of Constantinople and Cyrus Bishop of Alexandria fell into the Heresie of the Monothelites And to this fault hee added other faults such as incest for he married his owne sisters daughter and hee was giuen to curious Artes and to seeke out the euent of thinges by judiciall Astrologie and was admonished by the Astrologians to beware of the circumcised people Heraclius onely deemed that the Iewes should trouble him but it was the Saracenes in whom this prophesie had performance for in his time beganne the Monarchie of the Saracenes and the blasphemous doctrine of Mahomet The Saracenes were people dwelling in Arabia the posteritie of Hagar and not of Sara These fought vnder the banner of Heraclius in his sixt yeere warrefare against the Persians when they craued the wages of their seruice in stead of money they receiued contumelious words and were called Arabik dogs by the Emperours treasurer This contumely did so irritatate them that they choosed Mahomet to be their captaine Anno 623. inuaded Damascus and tooke it and within few yeeres conquered Syria Phaenicia Palestina and Aegypt And not content with this they inuaded the kingdome of the Persians and subdued it and cut off the kings seed The blasphemous Alcaron and alfurca of Mahomet which hee said hee receiued from heauen was a doctrine of lies containing a mixture of the religion of the Iewes Pagans and
Preaching of his owne death and bloodshed for the redemption of many Neither conquered he free men to make them slaues as other Conquerours had done but they who were slaues indeed to Sathan vnto them he gaue the libertie of the sonnes of God Now these twelue Apostles the more faithfully they laboured in the worke of their ministrie the worse were they entreated by the vnthankefull world according as Christ had foretold The most part of them were put to death the rest were not free of many painefull sufferings and rebukes which they willingly sustained for the name of Christ. Peter and Paul are supposed to haue beene martyred at Rome Andrew to haue beene crucified in Achaia Mathew beheaded in Ethiopia Iames the brother of Iohn was beheaded by Herod in Iudea Iames the sonne of Alpheus called Iustus was throwne downe headlong from the Pinacle of the Temple Simon of Canaan was crucified in the dayes of Traianus being an hundreth and twentie yeeres old when he suffered Martyrdome Bartholomew is said to haue beene martyred in Armenia and Simon Zelotes to haue beene crucified in Brittaine Iohn died at Ephesus Philip in Hierapolis Functius calleth the Towne Hierosopolis Iudas Lebbeus at Edessa Thomas in India and Matthias in Ethiopia Of Evangelists AS concerning the Evangelists they were fellow-labourers with the Apostles in the worke of Christ and were also partakers with them of Christs sufferings The Evangelist Marke died in Alexandria Luke in Bithynia others say in Constantinople Philip who first was a Deacon and afterward an Evangelist died in Cesarea Barnabas in the Isle of Cyprus Where Timothy and Titus did compleate their dayes it is not certainly knowne Chytraeus opinion about Timothy I haue alreadie declared Ierome supposeth that Titus died in Candie The successours of the Apostles and Evangelists are not to be reckoned as the successours of Emperours because he who next obtaineth the Emperiall Diadem and place of gouernment is counted the successour of the last Emperour but he who obtaineth a faithfull Pastors chaire and teacheth a doctrine contrarie to that which a faithfull Pastor hath taught is to be counted a grieuous Wolfe stepped vp into his roome And Nazianzenus calleth such a man an adversarie standing vp in the place of a faithfull Pastor darkenesse succeeding to light a tempest succeeding to calme weather and madnesse obteining place where right reason was wont to be And therefore those Bishops and Doctors following who keepe inviolably that forme of wholesome doctrine which they receiued from the Apostles these I say alone are to be counted true successours of the Apostles Bishops of Rome OF this number was Linus Bishop of Rome who after the martyrdom of Peter Paul governed that Church ten yeeres three moneths and twelue dayes Eusebius thinketh this is that same Linus of whom the Apostle Paul writeth in the last Chapter of his second Epistle to Timothy Eubulus Pudens Linus and Claudia salute thee After him succeeded Anacletus and gouerned nine yeeres three moneths and ten dayes and after him Clâ—mens ruled eleuen yeeres Eusebius also thinketh this is that Clemens of whom the Apostle Paul writeth to the Philippians Yea I beseech thee faithfull yoke-fellow helpe those women that laboured with me in the Gospell with Clement also and with other my fellow labourers whose names are in the booke of life Ignatius Bishop of Antioch had his heart so inflamed with the loue of Christ that when his dissolution was neere approaching he said to the Romanes now doe I begin to be the Disciple of Christ I couet for nothing that can be seene with bodily eyes to the end that I may enioy Iesus Christ let the fire the crosse the beasts the breaking of bones convulsion of members and bruising of the whole bodie and the torments of the Deuill sease vpon me prouided I may be partaker of Iesus Christ. He was deuoured with beasts in the dayes of Traianus and so patiently indured death for the Name of Iesus that he allured the deuouring beasts to approach neere vnto his bodie that it being ground with the teeth of beasts he might be found as fine flowre in the house of his Father About the same time also flourished Papias Bishop of Hierapolis who was a man of great authoritie because of his neerenesse to the Apostles dayes yet leaning more to the report of the doctrine of the Apostles then to the certaintie of their owne writings he fell into the errour of the Chiliastes who imagined that Christ should raise the godly first and liue with them a thousand yeeres in this earth in all kinde of delicate pleasures CENTVRIE II. Bishops of Rome IN this second Centurie the Bishops of Rome for the most part proued faithfull and worthie seruants of Christ. A great number of them were baptized with the Baptisme of Christ and dranke of the cup that Christ dranke of and were drenched with their owne blood and they watered the Church of Rome with the streames of their blood as Egypt is watered and made fruitfull with the invndation of Nilus men of blessed remembrance Damasus writeth that from Saint Peter to Telesphorus all the Bishops of Rome were Martyrs Others added that vntill the dayes of Sylvester who liued in the time of the raigne of Constantine all the Bishops of Rome had the honour of martyrdome But in these hyperbolicke speeches neither hath the distinction betweene a Martyr and a Confessour beene rightly considered albeit well marked by Euseb. eccl hist. lib. 5. cap. 2. neither hath the history of the raigne of Antoninus Pius beene rightly pondered in whose dayes Hyginus and Pius liued and were not slaine for the testimony of Christ. Alwayes it is an envious minde that holdeth backe from worthie men their due prayse and commendation both in doing of good and patient suffering of euill for Christs sake In rehearsing the names of the Romane Bishops I thought meete to follow Ireneus and Eusebius rather then Platina In the first Centurie after the martyrdome of Peter and Paul Linus Anacletus and Clemens were teachers of the Romane Church In the second Centurie follow Evaristus Alexander 1. Xistus 1. Telesphorus Hyginus Pius 1. Anicetus Soter Eleutherius and Victor This Victor must needes be called the 13. Bishop of Rome if Eleutherius be the 12. according to the computation of Ireneus lib. 3. cap. 3. Onuphrius according to his owne custome giueth more credite to olde parchments that he hath found in the Vatican Bibliotheke then to any auncient Father He beginneth earely to distinguish Cletus from Anacletus that by taking libertie to thrust in one moe in the first Centurie he may haue the greater boldnesse to thrust out another of the feminine sexe in another Centurie For it grieueth him to the heart to heare this thing so vniversally affirmed and to see the penne of Platina blushing when he writeth of Iohannes the eight he
maketh little contradiction to that setled and receiued opinion of the feminine Pope But I leaue Onuphrius sporting with his owne conceits as a Pleasant doth with his owne fingers when no other body will keepe purpose with him Euaristus finished the course of his ministration in eight yeeres Alexander who is in expresse words called the fift B. of Rome after the death of Peter and Paul gouerned ten yeeres and suffered martyrdome in the dayes of Adrian as Platina writeth After him Xistus 1. continued ten yeeres and died a martyr Platin. Telesphorus the 7. Bishop of Rome after the dayes of the Apostles liued in that ministration eleuen yeeres and was honoured with martyrdome Hyginus An. 4. And Pius the 1. ministred 11. yeeres These two suffered not martyrdome because their lot was to liue in the calme dayes of a meeke Emperour Antoninus Pius Anicetus ministred in that office 11. yeeres with whom Polycarpus B. of Smyrna conferred at Rome concerning the obseruation of the festiuitie of Easter day He concluded his life with the glorious crowne of Martyrdome To him succeeded Soter An. 9. After him Eleutherius An. 15. In whose time Lucius King of the Britons desired that he and his people should be baptized and receiued into the fellowship of Christians to whom Eleutherius sent Fugatius and Damianus who satisfied the desire of the King and his people so they were baptized and counted Christians After him Victor An. 10. He intended to haue excommunicated all the Churches of the East because they kept not the festiuitie of Easter day conforme to the custâ—me of the Church of Rome but rather vpon the day wherein the Iewes were accustomed to eat their Paschall Lambe But this rashnesse of Victor was somewhat abated by the graue and prudent counsell of Ireneus B. of Lyons who admonished Victor that there was no lesse discrepance of customes concerning keeping of Lent then was concerning the keeping of Easter day yet was not the vnitie of the Church violated nor rent asunder for this discrepance And when Polycarpus B. of Smyrna came to Rome in his conference with Anicetus neither of them could perswade the other to change the custome of keeping of dayes which they had receiued by tradition of their predecessours Notwithstanding they kept fast the bond of Christian fellowship and Anicetus admitted Polycarpus to the communion of the Romane Church and they departed in peace one from another Quadratus B. of Athens liued in the dayes of Adrian This Emperour vpon a certaine time wintered in Athens and went to Eleusina and was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say initiate into all the mysteries of Grecia This fact of the Emperour gaue encouragement to those who hated Christians without allowance of the Emperours commandement to vexe the Christians Concerning his apologie for Christians giuen into the Emperour together with the apologie of Aristides a learned Philosopher and eloquent Orator in Athens wee haue spoken already in the description of the life of Adrian Agrippas Castor a very learned man answered to the books of the Heretique Basilides who with the noueltie of barbarous and vncouth words troubled the hearts of rude and ignorant people talking of a god whom he called Arbraxas and of his Prophets Barcab and Barcob words inuented by himselfe to terrifie simple people Such delusions of Satan Quintinists in our dayes an ignorant race of braine sicke fellowes haue vsed And so the blind led the blind and both fell into the ditch In this age Hegesippus of the nation of the Iewes was converted vnto the faith of Christ and came to Rome in the dayes of Anicetus and continued vntill the dayes of Eleutherius But for what cause he came to Rome or in what part of the world he bestowed the trauels of his ministrie no mention is made neither by Eusebius nor by any other ancient Writer no not by Ierome himselfe a most accurate explorator of all antiquities Melito B. of Sardis a famous towne in Lydia wrote an apologie for the Christians to the Emperour Antoninus Philosophus whom Eusebius calleth Marcus Aurelius Verus His apologie was written with Christian freedome and courage for he was not afraid to declare to the Emperour what good successe Augustus Caesar had in whose dayes Christ was borne and what vnprosperous successe Nero and Domitian had who persecuted the Christians Eusebius calleth him an Eunuch In the fourth persecution died Iustinus Martyr accused and delated by Crescens He was converted to Christs Religion by the trauels of an old man whom he supposed for his grauitie to haue beene a Philosopher but he was a Christian This ancient man counselled Iustinus to be a diligent reader of the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles who spake by diuine inspiration who knew the veritie and were not couetous of vaine glory neither were they dashed with feare whose doctrine also was confirmed with miraculous workes which God wrought by their hands Aboue all things willed him to make earnest prayers to God to open vnto him the ports of true light because the truth cannot be comprehended except the Father of light and his sonne Christ Iesus giue vnto vs an vnderstanding heart He wrote two bookes of apologie for Christians to the Emperour Antoninus Pius and to his sonnes and the Senate of Rome In the second booke of his apologie he declareth that Christians were put to death not for any crime they had committed but onely for their profession In witnesse whereof if any of them would denie his Christian profession straight way he was absolued because there was no other thing wherewith he was charged In this same persecution also suffered the holy martyr of Christ Polycaryus B. of Smyrna He was willing to haue remained in the towne of Smyrna but by the earnest supplications of friends was mooued to leaue the towne and lurke secretly in the countrie Three dayes before hee was apprehended by his persecuters he dreamed that his bed was set on fire and hastily consumed which he tooke for a diuine aduertisement that he behooued to glorifie God by suffering the torment of fire His conference with the Romane Deputie and how he refused to deny Christ whom he had serued fourescore yeeres and euer found him a gratious Master also how he refused to sweare by the fortune of Caesar and how patiently he suffered death for the name of Christ this history is set downe at large by Eusebius Ireneus B. of Lyons in France and successour to Photinus a martyr and Disciple of Polycarâ—us in his youth flourished in the dayes of the Emperour Commodus whose meeke conuersation and peaceable carriage answered to his name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is peaceable made his name to be in great account amongst Christians How he pacified the furie of Victor B. of Rome and the pernicious schisme springing vp in the Church of God vpon very small
very first words of it proue it to be false forged Pontianus sanctâ— uniuersalâ—s Ecclesia Episcopus c. that is Pontianus B. of the holy vniuersal Church to al them who feare loue God wisheth welfare Such magnificke stiles as these were not as yet in vse when they crept into the Church afterward they were giuen by persons who admired the vertues of some singular and rare men such as Cyprian and Athanasius and Eusebius but no man did vsurpe such proud arrogant ti tles of dignitie in his owne writings directed to other Christians and therefore the learned reject this epistle as composed by some late vnlearned and flattering fellow After Pontianus succeeded Anterus the 18. B. of Rome to whom Eusebius assigned but one month of continuance in his ministrie Damasus assigneth to him 12. yeeres Platina 11. yeeres 1. month 12. dayes and this diuersitie of counting cannot be reconciled Next to Anterus succeeded Fabianus the 19. B. of Rome vpon whose head a doue lighted when the people were consulting concerning the election of a B. therefore with full consent of the whole coÌ„gregation he was declared to be their B. The people at this time were so farre from being secluded froÌ„ giuing their consent to the election of him who should be ordained their Pastour that the consent of the people had the sway in the election of Pastours Func Chron Commentar He suffered martyrdom vnder the raigne of Decius the 7. great persecuter after hee had continued in his office 14. yeeres 11. months 11. daies Many constitutions made by him are cited by Gratianus and inserted Tom 1. Concil One of them I cannot passe by We constitute that vpon euery Lords day the oblation of the altar shall be made by euery man woman both of bread wine to the end that by these oblations they may be deliuered froÌ„ the heapes of their sinnes First marke in this constitution that the bread and wine which the people brought with them vpon the Lords day for the ministration of the holy communion is called the oblation of the altar the table whereupon the bread and wine were laide was called the alter the bread and the wine are called the offering or the sacrifice because part of it was distributed in the holy communion to keepe a memoriall of the Lords death and the rest was giuen to the sustentation of the poore and in that respect also it was called a sacrifice as â—he scripture speaketh To do good to distribute forget not for with such sacrifices God is pleased The last part of the decreet is blasphemous and falsly attributed to Fabian because the sinnes of men and women who beleeue and repent are forgiuen onely for the merite of that bloodie sacrifice which the Lord Iesus offered vpon the Crosse for our sins But our furnishing of elements to the coÌ„munion sustentation of the poore cannot merite forgiuenes of sins The successour of Fabianus was Cornelius the 20. Bishop of Rome He had a great strife against Nouatus and his complices He assembled a Councell at Rome of 60. Bishops besides Elders and Deacons by whom the heresie of Nouatus was condemned and the Nouatians were separated from the fellowship of the Church Cornelius was baÌ„ished from Rome by the Emperour Decius and sent to a towne in Hetruria called Centum-cellae where hee had great comfort by the mutuall letters that passed betweene him and Cyprian Bishop of Carthage When the Emperour got knowledge of this he sent for Cornelius and accused him as a man who not onely despised the worshipping of the gods was disobedient to the Emperours commandement but also that he was a trafficker against the estate of the empire by receiuing and sending letters beyond sea Cornelius answered that he wrote matters pertaining to Christ the saluation of mens soules and not of matters belonging to the estate of the empire Notwithstanding the Emperour Decius commanded that hee should be scourged with plumbats this was a sort of grieuous whip and afterward that hee should be led to the Temple of Mars with commandement to put him to death if he refused to worship the image of Mars Thus was Cornelius beheaded for the name of Christ after hee had gouerned 2. yeeres 3. daies Or as Eusebius writeth 3. yeares Lucius the 21. Bishop of Rome was successour to Cornelius continued in the gouernement of the Church of Rome 3. yeeres 3. months 3. daies Platin. Euseb. 8. months lib. 7. cap. 2. One decretall epistle is assigned vnto him written vnto the Bishoppes of France and Spaine wherein hee braggeth that the Bishops of Rome cannot erre in matter of faith but the ineptitude of a barbarous Latine stile wherein the Epistle is dited declareth it hath beene written by an vnlearned Asse and not by Lucius Bishop of Rome Stephanus 22. Bishop of Rome ruled that Church 2 yeeres Platin. 7. yeeres 5. months 2. dayes He was greatly commoued against Cyprian B. of Carthage because that by his opinion of rebaptizing those who were baptized by Heretikes the vnitie of the Church of Christ was perturbed and rent Platina writeth that Cyprian before his martyrdome forsooke his opinion of rebaptizing and was content by imposition of hands according to the custome of the Romane Church to receiue such as had beene baptized by Heretikes The constitution concerning consecrated garments that men in spirituall offices should weare in the Church and no where else lest they incurre the like punishment with Baltasar who abused the holy vessels of the house of God in my opinion is not judiciously attributed by Platina vnto this B. Stephanus because the ordinance smelleth rather of Iudaisme then of Christian religion and the reason subioyned to the constitution is altogether impertinent It was sacriledge indeed and a proud contempt of God in the person of Baltasar to drinke common wine with his harlots in the vessels of gold dedicated to the holy seruice of God but an holy preacher to walke in the same apparell in the streete wherein he preached and ministred the communion in the Church this is no sinne nor a thing forbidden by any Apostolike precept But Platina is dreaming when he ascribeth such sriuolous constitutions to a Bishop preparing himselfe for death for Platina supposeth that he was martyred in the dayes of Galliexus Let the reader marke vpon what sandy ground of friuolous constitutions and falsely alledged Popish faith is grounded The decree of Stephanus concerning marriage bearing that the Priests Deacons Subdeacons of the Oriental Church were coupled in matrimonie but in the Roman Church no person in a spiritual office from the Bishop to the Subdeacon had libertie to marrie if it were true as it is assuredly false the Orientall Church hath a great commendation because they would not be wiser then God and they would not lay the yoke of the ordinances of men vpon the
afffirmed that the soules of men perish with their bodies and are raised vp againe in the day of the resurrection with the bodies whom Origen mightily refuted Likewise hee was present at the Councell in Arabia gathered against Berillus Bishop of Bostra who denyed that Christ was existent before his manifestation in the flesh and by the travelles of Origen Berillus was reclaimed and reduced to the true faith therefore I reckon him not in the roll of heretickes Firmilianus Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia invited Origen to come to Cappadocia where hee detained him a long time Likewise Mammea the mother of Alexander the Emperour sent for him to come to Antiochia and had him in reverent regard Likewise hee wrote to the Emperour Philip and to his mother who was the first Emperour that professed the name of Christ. Hee studied to bee acquainted with the Hebrew language farre contrary to the custome of his owne Nation and hee conferred the Hebrew text with the Greeke translations not onely the Septuagints but also the translations of Aquila Theodosion and Symmachus and he found out the fift sixt and seventh editions Notwithstanding all these excellent gifts and renowned fame of Origen hee wanted not his owne grosse errours and foolish facts In expounding of Scriptures he became a curious searcher out of allegories Yet this father of allegories Origen mistooke the words of Christ spoken of Eunuches There bee some chaste which haue made themselues chaste for the kingdome of heauen these words I say spoken in an allegorâ—coll sense hee tooke in a simple and vnfigurate meaning and gelded himselfe to the end hee might liue without all suspition of vncleannesse No learned man hath commended this fact of Origen so farre as my reading can extend for if a man might lawfully dismember his own body to the end hee might liue chastely why might not a man in like manner cut off his owne hand to the end he should not in hastie motion of anger kill his neighhour But the obedience of the commandements of God is seated in the heart and more commended for voluntary subiection then for necessity of abstinence of committing evill because there is not an instument in the body able to commit transgression Finally by seeking of divinity without the bounds of the holy Scriptures of God in stead of true divinity he was entangled with foolish errors concerning the creation of many worlds one succeeding to another concerning the paines of divels and wicked men after long torments to be finished and concerning the possibility of nature to keepe the whole law of God For which opinions long after his death he was excommunicate in the fift generall Councell holden Anno 551. Concerning his weakenesse in offering to Idols rather then to suffer his chaste body to be abused I haue spoken in the historie of the seventh persecution Hee lived vntill the dayes of Gallus and Volusianus and died in 69. yeere of his age in the towne of Tyrus where hee was buried Cyprian was an African borne in Carthage in his youth altogether given to the studie and practice of Magicall arts His conversion was by the meanes of Cecilius a Preacher whose name after hee bare and through occasion of hearing the history of the prophet Ionah After his conversion hee distributed all his substance to the poore and became first a Presbyter and afterward Bishop of Carthage Hee was banished in the persecution of Decius and martyred vnder Valerian The worthy D. I. Foxe thinketh that Nazianzen commendeth another Bishop of that same name borne in Antiochia and Bishop in Antiochia who suffered martyrdome in the dayes of Dioclesian This Cyprian Bishop of Carthage was a man full of loue a great comforter of Cornelius Bishop of Rome He suffered martyrdome as Ierom writeth that same day albeit not in the same yeere that Cornelius concluded his life by glorious martyrdome Hee had great strife against two contrarie Sects viz. againsh Novatus who was excessiue rigorous against those who had fallen in time of persecution and against Novatiaâ—us and Felicissimus who by the contrary would haue had both Heretiques and Apostates received without all forme of Ecclesiasticall discipline He esteemed much of those who suffered rebuke for the Name of Christ and hee sayd of the metall mynes that those that were condemned for Christs sake to worke in them that whereas they were wont to deliver gold and silver and precious things vnto the world now by the contrary the mynes receiue gold and siluer and the most precious things in the world counting the Confessours and Martyres of Christ the rich treasures of the earth of whom the world was not worthy His opinion concerning rebaptizing such as were baptized by Heretiques albeit it was erronius yet his modesty in not damning them rashly who were of a contrary opinion is greatly praised by Saint Austen who saith that the modestie of Cyprian in his error was more to be regarded then a sound and right opinion concerning baptisme without humility and modesty Hee was a faithfull builder of the house of God not by word onely but also by writing and his bookes remaine to this day as a precious treasure in the Church of Christ. The booke de Revelatione capitis Iohannis Baptisiae is supposititious because in it mention is made of the reverence that Pipinus King of France did to the head of Iohn Baptist when it was transported from Constantinople to France and it is knowne that Pipinus was not borne 300. yeeres after the martyrdom of Cyprian how then could Cyprian write of a fact done so long time after his death The Church of Christ was multiplyed vnder the persecutions of Sâ—verus Maximinus Decius Valerian Aurelian and Dioclesian All these sixe persecutions are comprehended in the third Centurie Bishops of Ierusalem IN Ierusalem was Narcissus against whom wicked men combined themselues together with forged accusations and false testimonies sealed vp with oaths and imprecations to grieue the heart of Narcissus in so much that hee left his calling and fled to the wildernesse where hee lurked a long time But the false witnesses who bare testimony against him escaped not vnpunished by the hand of God One of them and his whole family and substance was burned with fire another of them was stricken with an heavie disease such as hee himselfe in his imprecations had wished vnto himselfe the third was terrified with the sight of the iudgements of God that lighted vpon the other two and hee repented and poured out the griefe of his dolorus heart in such aboundance of teares that hee became blinde All these false witnesses were punished and he who was penitent albeit the Lord pardoned his sinne yet hee chastised him with temporall punishments The Bishops of the next adiacent Churches because they knew not what was become of Narcissus they admitted another called Dios who continued but a short time To him
against Iohn Chrysostome Bishop of Constantinople whom he hated because he had received and courteously intreated Isidorus and Longifratres who came to Constantinople with intention to accuse him In this matter hee dealt deceitfully like vnto a crafty foxe lying in waite vntill hee found occasion to set on First hee reconciled himselfe to Epiphanius Bishop of Salamin in Cyprus and mooved him to gather a Councell in Cyprus for damning the bookes of Origen and to write to Iohn Chrysostome that he would do the like in his bounds but Chrysostome tooke little regard of the counsell of Epiphanius other things were more necessarie then to trouble the memoriall of a man that was dead long agoe Theophilus was glad to haue this advantage that Epiphanius a man of great account was on his side and so soone as hee found that Eâ—doxia the Emperor Arcadius wife with Courteours and some of the Clergie were incensed against Chrysostome hee was in readinesse as a firebrand of Satan to execute all evill turnes So the man of God as hath beene declared was deposed banished and vniustly put to death by Eudoxia and Theophilus two chiefe procurers of it Cyrillus the nephew of Theophilus on his brothers side succeeded to Theophilus and governed two and thirty yeers A man learned zealous and actiue his ministration was vnder the raignes of Theodosius the second and Valentinian the third Hee was an adversary to Heretiques in his dayes especially to Nestorius Bishop of Constantinople who denyed the personall vnion of the divine and humane Nature in Christ whose opinion as hereticall was damned in the Councell of Ephesus Cyrillus tooke too much vpon him for hee revenged the iniury that the Iewes had done vnto Christians in the night time by setting vpon their Synagogues slaying a great number of them banishing others and distributing their substance as a prey to the multitude that followed him The Iewes had dwelt in Alexandria from the dayes of Alexander the Great to that time but now by the fury of Cyrillus they were vtterly vndone and scattered Orestes the Deputy of Theodosius the second was in the towne to whom Cyrillus would not complaine of the iniury done by the Iewes against the Christians but at his owne hand vsurping the office of a civill Magistrate hee set vpon the Iewes slew scattered and spoyled them as hath beene aboue mentioned This was the ground of vnsupportable discord betwixt Orestes and Cyrillus in so much that fiue hundred Monkes of Nitria came out of the wildernesse to Alexandria to support Cyrillus their Bishop One of them called Ammonius wounded the Governour Orestes and when he was taken and punished vnto the death Cyrillus called him a Martyr buried him in the Church changed his name and called him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is admirable The Romane Bishoppes claimed a superiority over their brethren but Cyrillus Bishop of Alexandria plainely pretended a superiority over civill Magistrates This mooued Socrates writing of Coelestinus the first to say that the Bishops of Rome and Alexandria had stepped beyond the limits of Priesthood to the affectation of an externall domination The Bishops of Rome kept their owne pride and borrowed from Alexandria a proud vsurpation of domination over civill Magistrats but the wise providence and provident wisedome of our God would haue the mouthes of the Bishops of Rome opened to condemne that civill domination which their successors afterward most proudly vsurped Marke what Gelasius writeth that before the comming of Christ some persons such as Melchisedecke were both Kings and Priests This saith hee Satan imitating in his members would haue Pagan Emperours to be called Pontifices maximi Imperatores but when he came who was indeed both King and Priest to wit Christ neither did the King take vpon him the priestly dignity neither the Priest kingly authority Dioscorus who succeeded Cyrillus his name is to reade in the catalogue of Heretiques but Proterius was the true successour in regard hee kept the true Faith but hee was cruelly slaine by the favourers of Diâ—scorus immediately after the death of the Emperour Martianus Timotheus Salophaciolus governed as Bishop in Alexandria 23. yeeres six moneths in the dayes of Zenâ— and Basiliscus Albeit Basiliscus advanced another Timotheus surnamed Aelurus to be Bishop of Alexandria yet when Zeno was restored to his soverainty againe Salophaciolus received his place againe After Timotheus Salophaciolus followed Iohannes Tabennesiota whom the Emperour Zeno iustly hated for his periury for hee came Ambassador to the Emperour and craued that when their Bishop were dead the Church of Alexandria might haue liberty to choose their owne Bishop the Emperour suspected that hee was ambitiously suting the place to himselfe and therefore did binde him with an oath that when the place should happen to be voyd hee should make no meanes to possesse himselfe of that roome but hee did the contrary and accepted the place therefore the Emperour Zeno banished him hee fled to Felix Bishop of Rome who being mis-informed by Iohannes Tabennesiota made him to thinke that hee was persecuted for the true Faith as Athanasius was who fledde to Iulius Bishoppe of Rome but the Emperours letter assured him of the contrarie that hee was banished for periurie Petrus Moggus who followed is to bee reckoned in an other Catalogue Patriarchs of Antiochia TO Flavius in Antiochia succeeded Porphyrius whose ordination was more secret then becomes the ordination of Bishoppes to bee in absence of the people when they were delighting themselues with the sight of Stage-playes in Daphne Hee consented to the deposition of Iohn Chrysostome No man whom I haue read maketh reverent record of him except Theodoretus who possibly doth not examine him narrowly but for the dignitie of his place letteth him passe with a note of commendation After Porphyrius succeeded Alexander a man much commended by Theodoretus for eloquence but more for peace for hee was not onely an instrument to quiet the estate of his owne Church of Antiochia but also to quiet the estate of other Churches he was the first who inserted the name of Iohn Chrysostome into the catalogue of holy Bishops and perswaded others to doe the same Theodotus was his successor foure yeeres of whom little is written To Theodotus succeeded Iohannes Grammaticus and ministred eighteene yeeres In his time the Councell of Ephesus was assembled by Theodosius the second and Valentinian the third In it there was a pitifull distraction betwixt Iohn Bishop of Antiochia and Cyrillus Bishop of Alexandria for a light cause Not because Iohn Bishop of Alexandria favoured the heresie of Nestorius but in respect hee gaue out definitiue sentence before the full number of his brethren were assembled together This dissention was afterward reconciled and Iohannes sent to Cyrillus Paulus Emisenus and craved his friendshippe and was reconciled vnto him Domnus the successour of Iohannes was an vnconstant man Hee consented to the
piece of drie timber budded and flourished yet was he an idiot and an vnlearned man Remaclus Bishop of the same Towne and borne in Burdeaux of France left his Episcopall office and went to the Wildernesse where hee led an Heremiticall life defending his insolent fact by the example of Moses Abraham Elias Heliseus and Christ himselfe who were all found to haue beene in the Wildernesse But if hee had beene a man of deepe vnderstanding hee might haue alledged more pertinently the example of Narcissus bishop of Ierusalem who in going to the Wildernesse forsooke his Episcopall office for a time than the example of Christ who went vnto the Wildernesse to enter into the holie office of Preaching after preparation of fasting praying and fighting with spirituall armour against the prince of Darknesse Notwithstanding hee is thought both in his life time and also after his death to haue wrought miracles In Austume a Towne of France called in Latine AugustodunuÌ„ Leodegarius is thought to haue retained his voice the benefite of distinct speaking after that his tongue was cut out and that manie miraculous works were wrought after his death if credite can bee giuen to Vincentius The miracles of Andoenus Bishop of Rowen who also writ a booke of the miraculous deliuerance of the soule of Dagobertus king of France and an infinite number of other lying miracles all confirming superstition of purpose I leaue them as fables superaboundant in the writings of Vincentius Concerning Isidorus Hispalensis occasion will be offered to speake of him in the sixt Councell of Toledo The vaine disputation concerning the diuersitie of the keeping of Easter day in Scotland and England betwixt Colmannus and Wuilfridus it is as vnnecessarie to be written as it was vnnecessary with heat and contention to haue beene disputed CENTVRIE VIII Popes of Rome AFter Pope Sergius succeeded Iohn the 6. and continued 3. yeeres and 3. months After him Pope Ioannes 7. continued 2. yeeres and 7. monthes hee liued in the dayes of Iustinian the 2. who sent Ambassadors vnto him for procuring an vnion betwixt the churches of the East and west because they differed in opinions concerning the Canons of the sixt generall Councell wherein prohibition of marriage to men in spirituall offices was dissallowed and the Patriarch of Constantinople was equalled in autoritie to the Patriarch of Rome These Ambassadors aforesaid returned from Pope Iohn the seuenth without any answere with proud carriage or as others thinke a cowardlie forme of dealing all writers doe reproue After him succeeded Sisinius who continued not about 20. dayes in his Popedome After Sisinius succeeded Constantine the first and gouerned 7. yeeres and 20. dayes his Popedome was vnder the raigne of Iustinian the second Philippicus and Anastasius The Emp. Iustinian supported him against Foelix Bishop of Ravenna who had refused to pay to the B. of Rome the summe of money imposed vnto him in time of his ordination so that Foelix was taken prisoner by the Emperours admirall and sent to Constantinople where his eyes were put out he was baÌ„ished to Pontus Against the Emp. Philippicus he contended as one hauing authoritie to raze the name of the Emp. out of charters as had bin already declared This is the Pope who was Iudge betwixt the B. of Ticinum and Millane who contended for superioritie and Constantine exemed the shop of Ticinum from the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Millan but in such way as he should be subject to the Church of Rome The Emperour Iustinian the second sent for Pope Constantine who came to Constantinople and from thence went to Nicomedia where he met with the Emperour and the Emperour kissed his feete Marke the growing and daylie increasing pride of the Roman Antichrist After Constantine succeeded Gregorius the second and continued sixteene yeeres nine months and eleuen dayes Hee liued vnder the raigne of the Emperour Leo Isaurus whom he rashly excommunicated for abolishing of images Also he drew away from the obedience of the Emperour the countries of Hesperia Aemilia Liguria and other parts of Italie forbidding them to pay tribute to the Emperour expresse contrary to Christes commandement Matth. 22.21 where He saith Giue vnto Caesar that which is Caesars c. and this Christ spake concerning paying of tribute Gregorie the third gouerned ten yeeres eight monthes and twentie foure dayes and followed the foote steps of his predecessor both in aduancing the doctrine of worshipping of images and in with-drawing the people of Italie from the obedience of the Emperour More-ouer he gathered a Councell at Rome wherein the worshipping of images had allowance And the Emperour Leo was both excommunicated and likewise so farre as in him lay depriued of his Emperiall dignitie So early did the beast of Rome euen in ciuill matters vsurp autority ouer the Princes and Monarches of the world In his dayes the towne of Rome was besieged by Luitprand king of Lombardis But Carolus Martellus a noble prince in France beeing sollicited by letters of Gregorie to support the distressed estate of the Church of Rome hee perswaded Luitbrand to desist from molesting besieging the towne of Rome After Gregorie the third succeeded Zacharias the first coÌ„tinued ten yeeres foure months and foure dayes In antichristian pride hee surpassed all his predecessors distributing the Kingdomes of the world at his pleasure For he procured that Pipinus the sonne of Carolus Martellus who was but a subject and ruler of the kings house should bee anointed king of France and that Childericus the lawfull successour of the kingdome should haue his head shauen and be thrust into a Monasterie Likewise he procured that Carolomâ—nnus the elder brother of Pipinius should be a Monke of the Order of Saint Benedict in the Monasterie of Cassinates Rachis also king of Lombardes after hee had raigned 4. yeeres gaue ouer his kingly authority and entered to a Monasterie and exhorted his wife and children to do the like and so his brother Aistulphus obtained the kingdome Pipinus was anointed king of France by Bonifacius at the commaundement of Pope Zacharias anno 750. or as Platina reckoneth Anno 753. What recompence of reward Pipinus rendered to the chaire of Rome for this beneuoleÌ„ce or rather this manifest iniquitie of Zacharias it will be declared in the description of the life gouernememt and carriage of Stephanus the second if the Lord please After Zacharias succeeded Stephanus the second and ruled fiue yeeres and one month In his time Aistulphus King of Lombardes besieged Rome at two diuers times and Stephanus implored the aide and assistance of Pipinus King of France at both times At the first time Pipinus besieged Aistulphus in Papia the chiefe Citie of residence of the kinges of Lombardes and compelled him to restore to the chaire of Rome all the townes and lands which by violence hee had taken from them But at his second comming he not only
of S. Silvester threw him down to the ground spoyled him of his pontificall garments beat him with many strokes and finally cast him into prison and bonds but hee escaped by the meanes of a cubiculare named Albinus and lurked in the Vaticane vntill the time that Vnigisius Duke of Spoleto conveyed him safely vnto his bounds At this time Charles King of France had warres against the Saxons The Bishop of Rome who came to him to complaine of the iniuries which hee had received was sent backe againe very honourably accompanied with the souldiers of Charles King of France and with promise that he should without delay addresse his iourney towards Italy When Charles came to Italy the Popes enemies were so dashed with feare they durst not appeare to accuse him and the Clergie of Rome thought meet that no man should iudge of the Apostolike chaire but the Bishop of Rome should bee his owne iudge Leo tooke the booke of the Gospell in his hands and swore that hee was innocent of all the crimes obiected against him and so hee was absolved and Pascalis and Campulus the friends of the late deceased Pope Adrian were counted worthy of death but Pope Leo interceded for safety of their liues so they were banished to France For this benefit Leo caused Charles to be declared Emperour of the West and crowned him with the Imperiall Diadem And from that time forwards the custome began that Emperours should receiue their Coronation from the Bishop of Rome Notwithstanding of this it was ordained that no man should be elected Bishoppe of Rome without advise of the Emperour of the West and without receiving investment from him Patriarchs of Constantinople THe Patriarches of Constantinople in this Centurie placed and displaced according to the changeable conceits of the Emperours Vnder th raigne of Iustinian the second Cyrus was Patriarch whom Philippieus removed and advanced one named Iohn who had fore-told that hee should bee made Emperour This Iohn was infected with the heresie of the Monothelites and was remooved by Artemius by whom Germanus was advanced to the chaire of Constantinople Germanus continued vntill the raigne of Constantinus Copronymus Hee was deposed and excommunicated by the generall Councell assembled by Constantinus because he allowed the worshipping of Images To him succeeded Anastatius who albeit hee disliked Images yet hee was vnthankfull to the Emperour and favoured the seditious attempts of the people of Constantinople who advanced Artabasdus to the Imperiall dignity Moreover hee slandered the Emperour as if hee had spoken against the divinity of Christ. Hee received a iust recompence of his vnthankefulnesse for he was deposed and scourged and set vpon an Asse with his face towards the Asses tayle and made a ridiculous spectacle to the people After him Constantine a Monke was made Patriarch who at the first seemed to condemne Images but afterward hee was found to bee a maintayner and allower of them The Emperour banished him to Iberia where hee spake contumeliously both of the Emperour and of the Councell holden at Constantinople therefore he was brought back againe from banishment and was beheaded and his body was drawn through the town with a cord and cast into a pit where the bodies of malefactors were accustomed to be cast After him succeeded Nicetas a man vnlearned and advanced by the Emperor Const. Copron. for none other cause but onely for his zeale against the worshipping of Images After him succeeded Paulus Cyprius who in the dayes of Const. Copron. damned the worshipping of images but afterward changed his minde and vnder the raigne of Irene entred into a Monastery and lamented that hee had consented to the abolishing of images The vaine inconstancy of this timorous and superstitious man was the chiefe occasion of the convocation of the second Councell of Nice by the Empresse Irene To him succeeded Tarasius who was present and gaue allowance to the adoration of Images The prevailing power of the Saracens in Alexandria Antiochia and Ierusalem did so obscure the names of the Patriarchs of there cities that I haue no remarkeable thing to write of them in this Centurie Of Pastors and Doctors IN this declining age wherein spirituall grace dayly decayed and nothing increased except an heap of earthly treasures which God permitteth to be poured into the bosomes of them who loue the wages of iniquity Alwayes even at this time some men of good literature and learning did manifest themselues vnto the world such as Bonifacius Bishop of Mentz Damascene a learned Monke Paulus Diaconus a learned writer of histories and Beda a man counted venerable in his time yet all these were miserably infected with the superstitions of their time such as the opinion of Purgatory invocation of Saints worshipping of Images and prohibition of Mariage Bonifacius was a man borne in England in place neere adioyning to Excester he was familiarly acquainted with fiue Popes to wit with Pope Constantinus the first Gregorius the second Gregorius the third Zacharias the first Stephanus 2. And by them he was advanced to many honours First to be the Popes Legate in England Germany and France and afterwards to be Archbishop of Mentz All his studies and travailes tended to this to bring the people of England Germany and France to the subiection of the Romane Bishop and to a conformity of the superstitions of the Romane Church In the name and at the commandement of Pope Zacharias hee disauthorized Childericus King of France thrust him into a Monasterie and anoynted Pipinus the son of Carolus Martellus to be King of France So zealous was he to performe all the desires of the Roman Bishoppes by whom also his name was changed for hee was first named Vinofridus but the Bishops of Rome who delighted in his service called him Bonifacius After he had served the Romane Bishops in slavish subiection 36. yeeres he was slaine by Pagans because he had anoynted Pipinus King of France and for hope they had to enrich themselues by his coffers in the which when they had opened them they found nothing except bookes and reliques of Saints whereof they made no account And his body was buryed in the Monastery of Fulda Damascene a superstitious Monke the disciple of Cosmas lived vnder the Emperours Leo and Const. Copron. hee was a long time in company of the Saracens and with the Prince of Saracens he went to the sepulchre of Mahomet and like vnto a timorous body worshipped the bones of Mahomet fearing to haue beene put to death if hee had not done such homage Hee was a patron of worshipping of Images and was excommunicated in the generall councell assembled by Const. Copron. It is written by Iohn Patriarch of Ierusalem in the History of Damascenes life that the Prince of Saracens was moved to indignation against him by a deceitfull letter sent from the Emperour Leo Isaurus in the which Damascene was charged as a man willing to haue betrayed
was no head of doctrine howbeit plaine in it selfe which they did not obscure and darken with the mist of vaine Philosophie curious disputation And that which was more lamentable the pure foundations of the word of God were vtterlie forsaken Theologues began to reuerence Aristotle his writings as if hee had bin a Prophet of God the Apostle of Iesus Christ. Yea things coÌ„tained in the holy scripture were counted vulgar common base of little importance but they who were deeply learned in Aristotles Philosophie and in the volumes of the ancient doctors were counted excellent teachers Angelicall and Geraphicall Doctors Then were set out prolixe commentaries vpon the master of SenteÌ„ces by Albertus Aquinae Alexander and Scotus and all the schooles were filled with contentious disputations This Albertus was a Dominik frier who for his great learning was called Magnus was made B. of Ratisbon by Pope Alexander 4. but he being wearied with the painefull trauels of that calling returned home again to Colen to speÌ„d his time more quietly in reading and writing of bookes Where hee writ those commentaries vpon the Master of Sentences vpon Aristotle with many other volumes Also hee defended his owne order of friers against Guil. de S. Amore who impugned the same as shal be hereafter declared God willing before he died he pointed out a place for his owne burial and dailie visited it Et vigâ—lias pro se ac si vita sâ—nctus esset legit Thomas de Aquino otherwaies called Angelicus Doctor was disciple to Albertus Magnus and profited in Theologie and Philosophie beyond others while he was yong at the schoole he was quiet stil more inclined to heare al men then to speake was called by his condisciples Bos that is a kow because hee was so silent Neuerthelesse afterward by his penne this kow lowed louder then all his coÌ„disciples filled al nations with the sound of his Doctrine He was of the order of the Dominike or preaching Friers defended his order against William de S. Amore as Albertus his Master had done before He died in the way as he was iourneying to the couÌ„cel at Lyons was canonised by Pope Ioannes 22. and was supposed to haue wrought miracles after his death because this age was full of lying miracles Alexander Neckam was learned in Philosophie Poetrie Oratrie and Theologie obtained a glorious name to be called Ingenij MiraculuÌ„ hee was made Abbot of Excester in England vpon whose Sepulchre when hee died were written these Barbarous verses Eclipsin patitur sapientia Sol sepelitur Cui si par vnus minus esset flebile funus Vir bene discretus in omni more facetus Dictus erat Nequam vitam duxit tamen aequam Ioannes Duns otherwise called Scotus Subtilis was a man borne in Dunce a towne of Scotland who departed from his natiue countrie and ioyned himselfe to the companie of the gray friers in Oxford from thence he passed to Paris from thence to Colen where hee died being yet yong in yeeres Hee was called Subtilis from the subtilitie of his wit In his commentaries vpon the Master of Sentences hee entreateth largely of the head of the Sacrament of the supper where it may be seene that hee would neuer haue condiscended to the opinion of Transubstantiation if hee had not beene induced thereto by the authoritie of the church of Rome Likewise in this age liued Alexander de Ales an English man brought vp in Paris and expert in Philosophie Theologie who amplified the doctrine of Petrus Lombardus with many subtile arguments and was called Doctor irrefragabilis In the end hee tooke vpon him the habit and order of the Graye Friers vpon this Occasion Hee had vowed that hee should doe all things which he was required to do in the name of the blessed Virgin if so be they were possible to be done and vpon a time hee forgathered with a begging Frier seeking almes who besought him for the Loue of our Lady to ioyne himselfe to their order because they had no Master to gouerne and rule them Thus Alexander de Ales without delay tooke vpon him the habit of a graye frier and became their doctour He died at Paris and was buried in one of the Abbacees of the graye friers Now in this time of most palpable darkenesse the Lord lacked not witnesses of his truth but stirred vp many who damned the grosse ignorance and superstition of those times Of this number was Arnoldus de Nova Villa a Spainard a man famously learned and a great writer whom the Pope with his Clergie condemned among Heretikes for holding writing against the corrupt errours of the Popish Church His teaching was that Sathan had seduced all the world from the truth of Christ Iesus First That the faith which then Christian men were commonly taught was such a faith as the Deuils had Secondly That Christian people were led by the Pope to hell Thirdly That all Cloysters are voyde of Charitie and that they doe all falsifie the doctrine of Christ. Fourthly That the Diuines doe euill in mixing Philosophie with Diuinitie Fiftly That the Masses are not to be celebrated and that they ought not to sacrifice for the dead Certaine other opinions there be which the slaunderous sects of Monkes and Friers doe attribute to him as is their custome rather of envious taking then of any iust cause giuen In this number also was the worthy and valiant Champion of Christ and aduersary of Antichrist Guilielmus de S. Amore a Master of Paris and a chiefe ruler then of that Vniuersitie He in his time had no small adoe writing against the Friers and their Hypocrisie but especiallie against the begging Friers both condemning their whole Order and also accusing them as those that did disturbe and trouble all the churches of Christ by their preaching in churches against the will of the Ordinarie Pastors by their hearing of confessions and executing the charge of ordinarie preachings in their churches All the testimonies of Scripture that make against the Antichrist hee applied them against the Clergie of Prelats and the Popes spirituallie The same Guilelmus is thought to be the author of the booke which is attributed to the schoole of Paris and intituled De Periculis ecclesiae where hee prooueth by 39. arguments that Friers be false Prophets Moreouer he doth wel expound this saying of Christ. If thou wilt be perfect goe and sell all that thou hast and come follow mee declaring there pouertie to be inioyned vs of Christ non actualem sed habitualem not in such sort as standeth in outward action when no neede requireth but in inward affection of heart when neede requireth as though the meaning and precept of our Lord were not that wee should cast away actuallie all that wee haue but that when the confession of the name of Christ and his glorie shall so require
watching writing and teaching whereof also hee dyed anno 1564. on the 27. day of May. I passe by the rest of those learned and holy men of God by whose labours the kingdome of Christ hath bene prorogated in Europe because their names like as they are worthy of perpetuall remembrance so likewise are they registred in sundry volumes namely by Theodorus Beza in his booke intituled Icones Here endeth the second booke THE THIRD BOOKE OF THE HISTORY of the Church containing a short summe of all the Heretiques and Heresies which sprang vp since the dayes of Christ vntill this present CENTVRIE I. AS it is the accustomed dealing of Satan to pervert men by drawing them from the simplicity of Gods truth So it standeth well with the iustice of God to giue over men to strong delusions who will not beleeue the truth of God Therefore in the third head we are to speake of Heretiques that sprang vp in this age Heresie I count to be an opinion repugnant to the grounds of our Christian faith obstinately maintained by those that professe the name of Christ. As touching them who lead an evill life yea and in effect deny the Sonne of God by a prophane conversation but maintaine an opinion that it is lawfull so to doe they may be counted Atheists or carnall Gospellers and not Heretiques Iewes and Turkes also who deny the divinity of Christ because they doe not professe the Name of Christ we call them Infidels but not Heretiques And the Corinthians who erred in some fundamentall points of the Christian faith yet seeing they maintained not their error with obstinate mindes but yeelded to the wholesome doctrine of Paul no man doth count the Corinthians Heretiques but infirme and weake Christians And the Apostle himselfe writing to them calleth them Gods building and Gods husbandry But when these three things concurre together that men professe the Name of Christ and yet they maintaine opinions repugnant to the very grounds of true faith and will not receiue instruction but obstinately persevere in their error they are to be counted Heretiques Of this number was Simon Magus the father of Heretiques who being confounded in Samaria by the great power of God which appeared in the Ministery of Philip and of Peter hee fled from the East to the West and came to Rome where hee prevailed so farre in short time hee was counted a god and an image was set vp for him with this superscription Simoni deo sancto that is to Simon an holy God Thus the Romanes who in the dayes of Tiberius refused to acknowledge the divinity of Christ in the dayes of Claudius they honoured a Sorcerer and a seducing Heretique with divine honours He taught them who followed him to fall downe before pictures and images and in speciall to worship his owne image and the image of Helena a certaine woman who accompanied him in his iourney form Asia to Rome After Simon sprang vp another Suppost of Satan called Menander like to his master Simon in many things for he was both a Samaritane and a Sorcerer but in absurdity of monstrous opinions hee was farre beyond Simon for hee sayd that the world was created by Angels and that he himselfe was sent from aboue to saue the world and by vertue of his Baptisme men should bee made immortall euen in this world in such sort that they should neither waxe old nor taste of death This heresie Epiphâ—â—ius compareth to Aspido-gorgon in Egypt a great Serpent inclosed into a vessell of Earth with many other Serpents after hee hath devoured all the rest of the Serpents hee beginneth to gnaw his owne tayle for hunger and to destroy himselfe so did this heresie vndoe it selfe by promising great things which Menander could not performe neither in himselfe nor in others In this age also sprang vp Ebion who denyed the divinitie of Christ and sayd hee was onely a man begotten betweene Ioseph and Marie and that the observation of Moses Law was necessary to eternall life his followers were called Ebionites either by the name of their master Ebion or else as Eusebius thinketh for their poore and beggerly opinion they had of Christ supposing him only to be a man for Ebion in the Hebrew language signifieth one that is poore These Ebionites damne all the Epistles of Paul and count him an Apostate from the law and they admit no part of the New Testament for Canonicke Scripture except the Gospell of Matthew Cerinthus about the same time was the author of strange revelations which hee sayd hee received from the Angels that after the resurrection from the dead Christ should haue an earthly kingdome in this world and that the subiects of Christs kingdome should eate and drinke and marry and keepe holy dayes and offer sacrifices for hee himselfe was a man given to fleshly lusts and hee imagined that the pleasures of Christs kingdome should consist in fulfilling the concupiscence of the flesh Likewise in this age sprang vp the errour of the Nicolaitans vpon this occasion as Clemens Alexandrinus doth write One of the Deacons chosen by the Apostles to haue the oversight of the poore had a beautifull woman to his wife and was accused of over much iealousie To purge him selfe of all suspition of that fault hee brought his wife into the midst of his brethren and sayd he was content that any man should marrie her Of which words many tooke occasion to liue promiscuously like beasts no man having his owne proper wife but making them all common Howbeit Nicolaus is sayd to haue lived himselfe in matrimoniall chastity contenting himselfe with his owne wife alone Neverthelesse his foolish and vnadvised speech were the occasion of a most wicked and damnable error of the Nicolaitans whereof the Lord speaketh in the Revelation of Iohn that he hated it This is that heresie which Gregorie the seventh imputed to all married Priests but with what equity marriage ordained by God and honorable among all men can bee called an heresie or hated of the Lord Let the Christian Reader iudge CENTVRIE II. IN this second Centurie SathaÌ„ enuying the propagation of the Gospel sent forth a pernicious swarme of heretikes such as Saturninus of Antiochia Basilides of Alexandria the one of them thorow Syria the other through Egypt dispersed the venome of their heretical doctrine To whom Eusebius addeth Carpocrates most properly counted the father of the heretikes called Gnostici they receiued this name because they professed a knowledge of darke and hid mysteries The golden age of the Apostles Euangelists was now spent false teachers tooke the greater incouragement to teach a doctrin of deuils disallowing marriage coÌ„manding fornication practizing abominable filthie things which mine owne heart abhorreth to thinke vpon What necessity droue Epiphanius in particular to manifest to the world the detestable and execrable misteries of
of Munster assisted with the Princes of Germany besieged the town very strictly and in the end prevailed and tooke this new made King Cniperdolingus his false Prophet aliue and adiudged them not onely to be hanged in chaines of iron but before their hanging to haue their flesh seared with hot iron pincers Thus came the authors of this most vnhappy sect vnto a most miserable and shamefull destruction Of this Sect of Anabaptists sprang vp in Holland an impudent fellow David Georgius who affirmed that hee was Christ the Messias and Saviour of the world yet for feare of punishment hee fled out of the Low Countries and came to Basile where he remained vntill the day of his death all which time hee not only obscured his blasphemous errors but also behaved himselfe in outward show so humbly and modestly that hee was in good account and became wealthy also Yet after his death it was knowne that he had seduced many with his blasphemous errours Therefore the Councell of Basile commanded that his body should bee raised out of the graue and burnt with fire in token of their detestation of his abhominable errors About the same time also sprang vp Michael Servetus a Spaniard who renewed the blasphemous doctrine of Arrius affirming that God the Father is onely the true God and that neither the Sonne nor the holy Spirit is eternall God but that the Sonne is a creature and had the beginning of existence when God created the world He was taken in the towne of Geneva cast in prison but he would not be reclaimed from his blasphemous errors Therefore the Councell of the towne thought meet with flames of fire to stoppe the breath of this blasphemous man who durst set his mouth against the heauen to blaspheme the Sonne of God After his death many were found who maintained his errors as namely Valentinus Gentilis Gregorius Blandrata a Physitian in Italy Matheus Gribaldus a Lawyer and Paulus Alciatus with many others Amongst whom Valentinus Gentilis was bold to put in print his blasphemies and he called the summe of faith set forth by Athanasius Symbolum Satanasi calling Athanasius himselfe Satanasius but after hee had blasphemed the Sonne of God a while both by word and writ in the end hee was taken in the towne of Berne where hee suffered the iust deserved punishment of death Many other sprang vp in this age who were teachers of false and hereticall doctrine but because they had few followers so that the errour died with the author thereof wee haue no great need to enroll their names and errors in this booke at large but shortly to poynt them out Gasper Suenkefeldius a man borne in Silesia maintained this errour that the outward ministerie of the Word and Sacraments was not necessarie to eternall life because that by the illumination of Gods holy spirit without the ministerie of the Word men might be saved Andreas Osiander thought that Christ was our Mediatour onely in respect of his divine nature and on the other part Stantcarus refuting Osiander fell into the contrarie extremitie that Christ was Mediatour onely in respect of his humane nature Flaccius Illiricus supposed originall sin was a substance Huberus beleeved that all men were elected vnto eternall life and Franciscus Puccius defended this opinion that all men of whatsoever religion they were should bee saved if they led not a very impious life and evill conversation Finally in this age was cleerly discovered that hee who sate in the chaire of Christ as Christs Vicar was the very Antichrist and they who depend vpon the Pope as generall Bishop of all Christs sheepe were notable Heretiques giving the glorie of Christ to Antichrist denying the sufficiencie of the written Word bowing and kneeling to Images praying to creatures and accounting them mediators of their intercession sacrilegiously imitating the holy Sacrament of the Supper and taking from the people the vse of the Cup offering dayly a new propitiatorie sacrifice for sinne as though Christs sacrifice once offered vp vpon the Altar of the Crosse were imperfect damning marriage in some persons and forbidding meates which God hath allowed to bee eaten with thanksgiving with many other errors which the Lord hath cleerly detected to haue beene a long time by-past in the Romane Church Here endeth the third Booke THE FOVRTH BOOK OF THE HISTORY of the Church containing a short Compend of all the Councels together with their severall Canons since Christs dayes to this present CENTVRIE IV. COuncels may bee divided in Generall Nationall or Provinciall and Particular Councels Generall were called Oecomenicke Councels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the greek language signifieth the world because from all quarters of the world wherein Christ was preached Commissioners were sent to these Councels and they were gathered by the authoritie of the Emperour Nationall or Provinciall Councels were such as were gathered by the authoritie of the Emperor in one Nation with the assistance of other neere approaching Nations for suppressing of heresies deciding of questions pacifying of â—chismes and appointing Canons and Constitutions for decent order to be kept in the Church The third sort of Councels were particular Councâ—ls by Bullenger called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Such as the Councels of Gangra Neocaesaria and many others gathered vsually by Patriarchs and Bishops in a corner of a Countrie but for the like causes that nationall Councels were assembled Let no man expect a recitall of particular Councels except at such times as some matter of great moment enforceth me to speake of them ANcyra is a towne of Galatia in this towne were assembled Bishops of diverse Provinces about the yeere of of our Lord 308. as is supposed The principall cause of their meeting was to constitute a forme of Ecclesiasticall discipline according to which they who either willingly or vnwillingly had sacrificed to Idols in time of persecution should bee received into the bosome of the Church againe when they were found penitent There were many rancks of persons who had defiled themselues with Heathenicke Idolatrie such as Libellatici Thurificati Sacrificati and Proditores The Councell of Ancyra took order chiefly with those who were called Thurificati and Sacrificati that is with them who either had cast vp incense vpon idolatrous Altars or else had eaten of meates sacrificed to Idols to whom it was inioyned to testifie their repentance a long time before they were received to the communion of Gods people some one yeere some two yeeres others three or foure yeeres some fiue or six yeeres and aboue according to the heauinesse of their transgression In this Councell it was ordained that Deacons who in time of their ordination did protest that they had not the gift of continency but were disposed to marrie if they married they should remaine in their Ministerie but they who in time of imposition of hands by
with great libertie they may attend vpon spirituall seruice Let Bishops have some of their owne Clergie to be rulers of their house-holde-affaires according as the Councell of Chalcedon hath ordained A man is made a monke either by his parents deuotion or by his own profession but whether he be embarked into the Monasticke life the one way or the other there is no redresse againe vnto a secular estate Persons of the Clergie who are desirous to enter into a Monasterie and to leade a contemplatiue life let not their Bishops hinder the purpose of their minde because they haue intention to enter into a better trade of living Bishops haue power to constitute Abbots to governe Monasteries and to correct enormities that shall happen to fall out amongst them but not to redact them to servile offices nor to convert the rents of the Abbie to their owne vse as a possession duly belonging to themselues The Monks who leauing their Monastery returne againe to a secular life and marrie wiues let them be brought back againe to their owne Monasterie there to doe penance and to lament for their by past sins Religious men who wander vp and downe in a Nation and are neither members of the Clergie nor Monkes of any Monasterie let the Bishops restraine their licentious libertie and appoint them either to serue in the Clergie or in a Monasterie except such as through infirmity or age haue gotten an exemption They who haue confessed the committing of any deadly sinne cannot be promoted to Ecclesiasticall honors Secular men who in receiving their penance haue been content to be shaven and to put on a religious habit if they revolt againe and will needs become Laickes and be incorrigible then let them be counted apostates and excommunicate from the fellowship of the Church Widowes who haue put on a religious habit and vowed chastitie if they marrie they haue damnation according to the wordes of the Apostle 1 Tim. 5.12 Iewes are not to bee compelled to receiue the Christian faith but these who already by constraint haue received it in the dayes of the noble King Sisebutus seeing they haue been already partakers of our Sacraments let them be compelled to persevere left the Name of the Lord Iesus bee blasphemed and the Faith which they haue embraced bee counted vile and contemptible They who receiue the bribes and rewards from the Iewes to cloake their vngodlinesse and to foster them in their infidelity let them be accursed and counted strangers from the Church of Christ. Iewes after their conversion to the Christian faith if they be found to haue circumcised their sonnes or servants by the commandement of the most religious King Sisenandus it is ordained that the circumcised children of the Iewes shall be separated from the fellowship of their parents and the servants shall bee set at liberty for the iniury done vnto their body by circumcision Iewes who are punished to death for any contempt done by them against Christ after their baptisme this punishment shall not preiudge their children from right to enioy their goods if they be faithfull because it is written The sonne shal not beare the iniquity of the father Ezech. 18.20 Let not Iewes after their conversion haunt the company of other superstitious Iewes as yet addicted to the abolished law of ceremonies left they be perverted if they transgresse this ordinance such of them as haue professed Christianity shall be given in service to Christians others shal be appointed to be publickly scourged Iewes who haue married Christian women if they will not embrace Christian religion let them be separated from their wiues company and let the children be brought vp in the faith of their Christian mothers Iewes who haue once professed Christian Faith and haue sliden backe againe from it shall not bee admitted witnesses before a Iudge albeit they professe themselues to be Christians because like as their faith is suspected so in like manner their humane testimony is to be doubted of Let no Iew be preferred to any publique office Let no Iew presume to buy a Christian servant which if hee doe the servant shall be taken from him and shall be set at liberty Bishops who haue not benefited the Church by any proper donation of their owne goods they should not impoverish their Church by setting at liberty Church-servants which thing if hee presume to doe his successour shall reduce those servants againe to the possession of the Church whom iniquity without any iust right hath absolved A Bishop who setteth a servant at liberty having first by permutation set another of the like worth and merit in his place shall deny liberty to the fore-said servant either to accuse or to beare witnesse against the Church wherein hee was a seruant else he shall forfeit his liberty and bee reduced to his former servile condition in that same Church which he would haue harmed and in the meane time the permutation afore sayd shall stand firme and stable Hee who hath augmented Church-rents either by conferring or accquiring some augmentation vnto it hath some liberty to set Church-servants at liberty prouiding alwayes they abide vnder the patrociny of the Church Because the patronage of the Church never dieth let those servants whom the Church hath set at liberty and their posterity be obedient to the Church depend vpon their patrociny If they be vnthankfull let their liberty bee forfeit and let the Church defend them from all insolency and wrong Servants who are set at so full liberty that their patrons haue kept no band of subiection over their heads if they be vnspotted and vnreproueable they may bee promoted to Ecclesiasticall offices But it is vnseemly that any man shal be received into a spirituall office who is bound vnto the servile subiection of an earthly Master In the end earnest supplications are ordained to be made to God for preservation of King Sisenandus and the Nation of the Gothes and many Anathenus are pronounced against them who shall presume to violate the oath of allegeance made to the King In the end the Acts of this Councell are subscribed by Isidorus Bishoppe of Hispalis and seventie other Bishops IN the first yeare of Chintilla King of the Gothes and about the time of the raigne of the Emperour Heracleon convened with Eugenius Bishoppe of Toledo twenty other Bishops In this Councell nothing was entreated except a mandate was given concerning the yeerely Letanies that should be made three dayes immediatly following the Ides of December and if the Lords day intervened these three dayes Letanies should be deferred vntill the beginning of the next weeke In these three dayes pardon for sins should be humbly begged at the hands of God with teares The rest of the ordinances of this Councell appoint supplications to be made to God for the preservation of the King and his
Hist. Mag. cent 3. Mammea the Emperors mother is instructed by Origen in the faith Note Turinus killed with smoke Seuerus his death Bucole Index chron Euseb. lib. 6. cap. 28. Eucole Index chron The 6. persecution Ann. Christi 237. Euseb. lib. 6. cap. â—8 Origen wrote a booke de martyrie Euseb. lib. 6. cap. 28. 1 The malice of Satan against true Pastors 2 Notâ— Origen got not the honor of martyrdome Note difference betwixt holy scripture and other bookes The death of Maximinus and his sonne Func chron Chron. â—unt Chron. Funt â—â—cole Euseb. lib. 6 cap. 34. Philippus his death Chron Funâ— The 7 persecution Ann. Ch. 250. Alexander and Babylas both died in prison Origen at Ierusalem closeth the booke and weepeth Hist. Mag. cent 3. cap. 10. The teeth of the holy martyr Apollonia Chemnisius dereli quiis Note The Martyrdome of Nemesion Euseb. lib. 6. cap. 41. The veritie hath no neede to be vnderpropped with lies Note Nicâ—phorus lib. 5. cap. 27. Note Euseb lib. 6. cap. 42. Married Bishops Euseb lib. 6. cap. 40. 1 Tim. 4.3 Note The rigour of Novatus Euseb. lib. 6. cap. 43. Gal 6.1 Bucole Index Chron. chron Funct Cypry ad Demetrianum Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 1. The 8. Persecution Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 10. Anno Chr. 259. The martyrdome of Laurence Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 11. Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 12. The martyrdome of Cyprian Naz. in Ieudem Cypriani Theosecnus B. of Caesarea encourageth Marinus Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 15. Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 16. The miserable captivity of Valerian Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 13. Bucol Index chron Note Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 13. Christians full of pitty Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 21.22 The history of Eusebius concerning the tvvo brasen images in Caesarea Philippi Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 18. Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 13. Note Similitude Eusib. lib. 7. cap. 20. Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 30. The 9. Persecution Anno Chr. 278. Note Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 30. Funct chron Aurelian vvith ciuill authority assisteth the Church against Samosatenus Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 3. Note Funct chron Euseb. Func chron His death Func chron Bucol Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 30. Func chron Bucol Index chron Func chron Psal. 129.4 Temples were built by Christians after the death of Valerian Euseb. lib. 3. cap. 1. The 10. Persecution Anno Ch. 308. Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 3. The great cruelty vsed in this 10. persecution Iohn a noble man borne rent in peeces the Emperors Proclamation Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 5. Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 4. Note The martyrdome of Pâ—ter Doâ—orbeus and Gorgonius Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 6. Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 6. Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 6. Horrible crueltie against Christian womâ—n Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 9. Euseb ibid. A towne in Phrygiaset on fire and all the inhabitants burnt with fire Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 11. Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 13. Mauritius with a whole legion of Christian souldiers martyred Hist. Mag. cent 4. Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 12. Pro. 12. vers 10 Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 13. Diocletian and Maximian giue ouer their imperiall function Bucol Note Hist. Magd. Constantius tried his Captaines whether they were Christians or not Euseb. lib. 2. de vita Constantius lib. 1. A comparison betwixt Maximinus and Pharaoh Euseb. lib. 9. cap. 7. Euseb. lib. 9. cap. 6. Quirinus his death Edicts against Christians ingraued in Brasse Mat. 24 22 24. A sudden change of the prosperitie of Pagans into aduersitie Euseb. lib. 9. cap. 8. Eusâ—b lib. 9. cap. 9. Maximinus was ouercome in battel by Licinius Euseb. lib 9. cap. 10. Euseb. lib 8. cap. 14. Sophronia chused rather to kill her selfe then to be abused by Maxentâ—us Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 15. Constantine seeth the similitude of a bright crosse in heauen Euseb lib. 1 de vita Constantini Maxentius ouercome in battell by Constantine is drowned The death of Dioclesian Euseb. lib. 10. cap. 8. Euseb. lib. 2. de vita Constantini Three cruell edicts of Licinius against Christians Fortie martyrs tormented first with cold and next with heats Soâ—om l. 9.6.2 Basil. Magn. in 40. Martyrs The martyrdom of Barlan Psal. 145. The death of Licinius Similitude Esa. 27.1 Similitude Euseb. de vita Const. lib. Sozon lib. 2. cap. 14. Idem lib. 2. cap. 8 9.10 13. Sozom. lib. 2. cap. 15. Ruffin l. 1. c 9. Theod. l. 1 c. 22. Sozom. l. 2. c. 24 Ruff. l. 1. c. 10. Socrat. l. 1. c. 20 Theod l. 1. 23. Sozom. l 2. c. 6. Euseb. de vita Constant. lib. 4. Theod. l. 5. c. 20. Socrat. l. 1. c. 1. Idem l. 3. c. 11. l. 3. c. 18. Ruff. l. 2. c. 3â— Socrat. l. 1. c. 18 Sozâ—m l. 1. c. 8. Gen 18. Sozom. lib. 2. cap. 4. Sozom. lib. 2. cap. 2. Socrat. l. 1. c. 18 Socrat. l 5. c. 8 Socrat. l 1. c. 6 Func chron Iohn 3. Euseb. de vira Const. lib. 4 Ruff. l. 1. c. 18 Socrat. l. 2. c. 46 Idem l. 2. c. 5 Soc. l. 2. c. 32 Ruff. l. 1. c. 11 Theod. l. 2. c. 3 Theod. l. 2. c. 3 Theod. ibid. Theod. l. 2. c. 13 Theod. ibid. Pro. 10.9 Socrat. l. 2. c. 27. Socrat. l 2. c. 32. Socrat. lâ—b 2. cap. 33. Theod. lib. 2. cap. 32. Socrat. lib. 3. cap. 21. Socrat. lib. 3. cap. 1. Socrat. ibid. Socrat. ibid. Theod. lib. 3. cap. 4. Sozom. lib. 5. cap. 4. Note Theod. lib. 3. cap. 8. Socrat. lib. 13. 14. Sozom. lib. 5. cap. 15. Math. 5. Theod. lib. 3. cap. 16. Sozom. lib 5. cap. 17. Titus 1. verse 15. 1 Cor. 10. verse 25. Theodor. lib. 3. cap. 15. Ruffin lib. 2. cap. 28. Theod. lib. 3. cap. 6. Theod. lib. 3. cap. 7. Note Theodoret. ibid. Socrat. lib. 3. cap. 2. Socrat. lib. 3. cap. 15. Rufsin lib. 1. cap. 33. Sozom. lib. 5. cap. 4. Theodor. lib. 3. cap. 9. 10. Socrat lib. 3. cap. 18. 19. Theodoret. ibid. Ruffin lib. â— cap. 37.38.39 Socrat. l. 3. c. 20. Theod. lib. 3. cap. 20. Sozom. lâ—b 5. cap. 12. Socrat. l. 3. c. 21. Sozom. lib. 6. cap. 1.2 The death of Iulianus Râ—fin lib. 2. cap. 1. Socrat. lib. 3. cap. 21.22 Theod lib. 4. cap. 2.3 Theod. lib. 4. cap. 4. Sazom lib. 6. cap. 6. Socrat. lib. 4. cap. 31. Ruffin lib. 2. cap. 2. Theod. lib. â— cap. 16. Sozom. lib. 6. cap. 6. Socrat lib 4. cap. 1. Socrat lib. 4. cap. 5. Theodor. lib. 4. cap. 13. Theod. ibid. Socrat lib. 4. cap. 6. Ruffin lib. 2. cap. 5. Theod. lib. 4. cap. 17. Sozâ—m lib. 6. cap. 18. Socrat. lib. 4. cap. 16. Theod. lib. 4. cap. 24. Sozom. l. 6. c. 14 Theod. l. 4. c. 34 Ruff. l. 2. c. 13. Valens his death Sozom. lib. 7. cap. 40. Theod. l. 4. c. 12 Socrat. l. 4 c.31 Sozom. lib. 5. cap. 36. Valentinians death Ruff. l. 2. c. 13 Socrat. l. 5. c. 2 Sozom. l. 3. c. 17 The death of Gratian. Theod. l. 5.13 Sozom. l. 7. c. 13. Aug lib. Confes. 9 cap. 7. Ruff. l. 2. c. 16 Theod. l. 5.