that the hatred and violence of his subjects would still expose the Christians to oppression, he enacted capital punishments against all those who should accuse a Christian without convicting him of actual crimes. Mr. Gibbon gives his character its due praise; Antoninus,' he says, 'diffused order and tranquillity over the greatest part of the earth. His reign is marked by the rare advantage of furnishing very few materials for history, which is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind. In private life he was an amiable as well as a moral man. The native simplicity of his mind was a stranger to vanity or affectation, and the benevolence of his soul displayed itself in a cheerful serenity of temper.'

Such is the moral character of Antoninus Pius, and pleasing as it seems, we cannot help regretting that to these moral virtues were not added the virtues of a Christian; but humility was not a Pagan grace, and Antoninus, not correctly valuing his good actions, never dreamt of being in the sight of God a fallen and a sinful creature. If he understood the Christian doctrines he did not practice them, and would, I suppose, have scorned the idea of laying his pride at the foot of the cross, and seeking for "the righteousness that is by faith in Christ Jesus."

This prince has borne testimony that the Christians of those days were Christians indeed. The Spirit of God still rested on his church, and maintained its primitive virtue and purity.

CENTURY II.

CONTINUED.

MARCUS ANTONINUS-POLYCARP-JUSTIN MARTYR.

IN the year 161, Marcus Antoninus succeeded Antoninus Pius in the Roman empire. The character of this prince has been adorned with every virtue, by almost all historians. Gibbon says of him,' He was severe to himself, indulgent to the imperfections of others, just and beneficent to all mankind.' To all mankind! Were then the people of God, in the historian's judgment, undeserving of being reckoned among the race of mankind? or how comes it that he could thus overlook them in so widely extending the justice and beneficence of his favourite prince? Marcus had not long ascended the Roman throne when the flames of persecution burst out once more. I think Mr. Milner in his Church History ascribes to its true cause this rage of Marcus, against a people guilty only of holding doctrines which this proud and stoical philosopher despised and hated.

It will be found,' he says, that the more

strenuously men support a religion founded on their own merits and self-sufficiency, the more vehemently do they hate Christianity. Their religion is pride and self-importance; it denies the fallen state of man, the power of divine grace, the glory of God, and of the Redeemer. Marcus was a philosopher, and of a sect who raised their own merit and self-sufficiency to the highest pitch. He absurdly fancied that he carried God within him; not indeed in the sense in which Ignatius used the expression, signifying that the Spirit of God dwelt in his heart, purifying it from its inherent evil, and directing it into the love of God and holiness. The human soul was the God that Marcus meant, and if he thought of being pure, and great, and good, by obeying its dictates, he might be virtuous with ease, for to be virtuous he need only follow nature.'

Now you must see how widely opposed are such sentiments to the Spirit of the Gospel. The doctrine of man's depravity Marcus must abhor, the idea of a Saviour he must despise: his pride was wounded, and his indignation roused by seeing a feeble band of unknown men shunning the things he sought, despising what he highly esteemed, professing themselves as devoted to their religion as he was to his, yet holding a scheme of faith and practice as widely differing as light could differ from darkness.

Thus, then, looking on the Christian religion with all the enmity of a proud moralist and self

sufficient philosopher, he overstepped the maxims of justice and virtue, and persecuted its followers with unrelenting hate and implacable cruelty.

Were I to relate to you all the particulars of the persecution of Marcus, it would be but a repetition of what I have told you before. Among those, however, who in this persecution shed their blood with joy for the truths of the Gospel, was one whom I cannot pass by: this was Polycarp, the friend of Ignatius, of whom I spoke before. You may remember my telling you that Polycarp was bishop of Smyrna, and had been the disciple of St. John; he was the last of those men who were called Apostolic Fathers, and as he was a very eminent person in the church, and one of its famous martyrs, I must tell you something about him.

At Smyrna, the city of Polycarp, the Christians were most bitterly persecuted, and after numbers had been made to suffer all the tortures and varied deaths that the cruel ingenuity of wicked and inhuman men could invent, the insatiate persecutors prepared to seize on the old and venerable bishop. Polycarp, however, was taken by some of his anxious friends from the scene of danger, and lodged in a farm-house in the neighbourhood.

In this retirement he passed his time and occupied his thoughts in holy and devout and charitable employments; continually praying to God on behalf of the afflicted churches, and beseeching Him to touch the hard hearts of men with pity. Though for the time out of danger, Polycarp did

not try to persuade himself that he was to be always so; he felt an assured belief that he was to glorify his Redeemer, by dying for the cause of his holy religion; but he did not, with the mistaken zeal of some, or the rash impatience of others, seek for death: he awaited it at the hand of God, and when it came he surrendered himself cheerfully, as to a messenger sent to convey him to his eternal home, and to the bosom of his God.

When the persecutors, thirsting for Christian blood, had found out the place of Polycarp's retreat, he did not attempt to save himself by flight, but calmly gave himself up, saying, 'The will of the Lord be done.' The men who were sent to seize upon him were struck with his fine and venerable appearance, his sweet countenance, and composed demeanour, and could not help asking themselves, Was it any advantage to apprehend so aged a person? Venerable in years and goodness, with a countenance beaming Christian love, and a manner evincing the fruits of a religion of 'peace, love, joy, gentleness, goodness,' Polycarp won the admiration and softened the hearts even of his persecutors. All the favour he asked was, to be allowed one hour for prayer; and then, after having prayed earnestly for the Christian church, and made mention of all whom he had ever known, he was led back to the city. On his way to Smyrna he was met by some of the magistrates, who knew and were forced to respect him: they took him into their chariot, and tried to persuade