successor by the army in Britain. Thus were the wicked designs of this persecutor and tyrant disappointed, and the Lord prepared for himself an instrument to accomplish his will, when he preserved the life of Constantine and exalted him to power. The punishment of Galerius overtook him, even in this life; struck by the hand of an avenging God with a loathsome and incurable disease, he applied in vain to the idols of the heathen, and sought without success unto divinations and enchantments. He then thought of the ills he had inflicted on others; he remembered the sufferings of the martyrs, and was filled with horror and remorse : he remembered too, perhaps, the efficacy he had heard Christians ascribe to prayer, and the power and goodness they attributed to their God, and, humbled under his miseries, and feeling his helplessness, he stooped to ask a Christian's prayer, and seek a Christian's pardon. Persecution was stopped, the prisons were opened, and the chains of the prisoners loosed; the houses of God were rebuilt, and His worship permitted. Then was seen a happy and a rapturous sight; the Christian, released from his dark prison, sought again the bosom of his afflicted family; the scattered saints, returning from their places of exile, joyed to see their native land, their home and friends; crowds of faithful servants of God, released from mines where they had been condemned to toil, viewed again the light of heaven and blessed its Maker and its King. But amidst this joy Galerius

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was sad; in the grateful hymn of praise that echoed from every dwelling of the worshippers of the Most High, he could not join; his wretched life was given him till he had published his edict for the freedom of Christians and of their places of worship, and then his corrupted body, devoured of worms even before death had seized upon it, sank into entire corruption.

The church had a short calm, which, however, only lasted six months: Maximian trod in his predecessor's steps, or, rather, went beyond them. It was this persecutor's plan not to put Christians actually to death, but to torture them in every way that Satan had invented. But he too was forced to bear witness to the power of God: finding all his hopes and ambitious projects blasted, Maximian in fury slew his false prophets, and cast away his dependance on his vain enchantments: and, wishing to gain friends among Christians when all others forsook him, he published edicts in their favour, and courted their good-will. But this could not atone for his sin, and he was made to know most fearfully the torment of an evil conscience. It is said, that, consumed as it were by inward fire, his flesh dropped from his bones, his eyes started from their sockets, he began to see the Judge of quick and dead sentencing the world, dividing his friends from his enemies, and saying in his justice, "These shall go away to everlasting fire, and those into life eternal." Willing to throw off the deadly sin of persecuting the church, he would start from his

bed, exclaiming, 'It was not I, but others who did it;' and then he would endeavour to implore Christ's mercy, and own himself subdued by His power; and thus, in helpless hopeless misery, he died.

In my next story I hope to tell you of more pleasing circumstances.

CENTURY IV.

CONTINUED.

CONSTANTINE-CHRISTIANITY ESTABLISHED.

THE period to which we have now come, is perhaps the most interesting and remarkable in history. Hitherto you have seen the church of Christ poor, despised, and persecuted. A separate people, and a contemned sect, Christians, in their happiest 'days, were but tolerated by the government under which they lived: but now we are to see Christianity not only tolerated, but protected, encouraged, and established on the ruins of Paganism. Constantine had been taught by his father, Constantius, to respect the Christians, and to protect them. He knew that the gods of the heathen were but vain : and, seeing the faithfulness and moral excellencies of Christians, he gave to them the preference, and wished to draw them into his service. You have, I dare say, heard of the conversion of Constantine, and the miraculous way in which it was effected. Marching from France to Italy, in order to oppose Maxentius, who was in

arms against him, Constantine is said to have seen a resemblance of the cross in the heavens, above the sun, bearing the words,' By this overcome ;' and the same night, we are told, Christ appeared to him and directed him to use it as his symbol in battle. Whatever religion Constantine might afterwards have, at this time he possessed none. He inquired, it is said, of Christian ministers, Who Christ was, and what the cross he had seen meant? He heard Christianity explained, and then embraced and promoted it.

This story respecting Constantine has been long and generally received as true: I cannot undertake to say whether it is so or not. God can make use of any means he pleases; but I own I am more inclined to doubt it than many others, on whose judgment I ought perhaps to rely: and, considering the character of Constantine, I do not think it a great want of liberality, to ascribe his conduct more to policy than to a real change of principles and views. Christians were now a numerous body; it was his interest to strengthen his party; his opponent had drawn upon himself the ill-will of the Christians; he wished to engage their love and obedience. He must have undoubtedly preferred Christianity to Paganism, and was probably fluctuating in his mind respecting his own choice at the time of his expedition against Maxentius. If this was the case, it was natural that the subject which occupied his waking thoughts should likewise be the subject of his