"for none of these things can reach us. Confisca properly banished, wherever I am it earth is God's, in tion of estate cannot hurt him that has nothing to lose, unless thou wantest these tattered and thread-bare garments, and a few books wherein all my estate lies. Nor can I be who am not tied to any place: will be my country; the whole which I am but a pilgrim and a stranger. I fear no torments, my body not being able to hold out beyond the first stroke; and for death, it will be a kindness to me, for it will but so much the sooner send me unto God, for whose sake I live, and am indeed in a great measure already dead, towards which I have been a long time hastening. Reproach and threaten, and use your power to the utmost; yet let the emperor know, that you shall never be able to make us assent to your wicked doctrine, no, though you should threaten ten thousand times worse than all this." The governor was strangely surprised with the spirit and resolution of the man, and went and told the emperor that one poor bishop was too hard for them all. And indeed so big were their spirits with a desire to assert and propagate their religion, that they would not hide their heads to decline the greatest dangers. 1 When the officers were sent to apprehend St. Polycarp, and had with great industry and cruelty found out the place where he was, though he had timely notice to have escaped by going into another house, yet he refused, saying, “The will of the Lord be done;" and coming down out of his chamber, saluted the officers with a cheerful and a pleasant countenance. As they were carrying him Id. in laud. Basil. Orat. 20. p. 349, 350. back, two persons of eminency and authority met him in the way, took him up into their chariot, laboured by all means to persuade him to do sacrifice; which when he absolutely refused after all their importunities, they turned their kindness into reproaches, and tumbled him with so much violence out of the chariot, that he was sorely bruised with the fall. Nothing daunted, as if he had received no harm, he cheerfully went on his way, a voice being heard as he went along, as it were from heaven, "Polycarp, be strong, and quit thyself like a man." When he came before the tribunal, the proconsul asked him whether he was Polycarp, which he presently confessed. Then he attempted by all arts of persuasion to urge him to deny Christ, or to do but something that might look like it; but all in vain. "These fourscore and six years," says he, "have I served Christ, and he never did me any harm, and how then can I blaspheme my master and my Saviour?" Being urged to swear by the emperor's genius, he replied, forasmuch as thou pressest me to do this, pretending thou knowest not who I am, know, I am a Christian. Then, the proconsul told him he would throw him to the wild beasts, unless he altered his opinion. "Call for them," answered Polycarp, "for we have no mind to change from better to worse; as counting that change only to be honest and laudable, which is from vice to virtue." "But if thou makest so light of wild beasts," added the proconsul, “I'll have a fire that shall tame thee. To which the good old man returned, "You threaten, sir, a fire that will burn for an hour, and presently be extinguished; but know not that there is a fire of eternal damnation in the judgment to come, reserved for the pu nishment of all wicked men. But why delay you? Execute whatever you have a mind to." This, and much more to the same purpose be discoursed of, to the great admiration of the proconsul; being so far from being terrified with what was said to him, that he was filled with joy and cheerfulness, and a certain grace and loveliness overspread his face.' So likewise when Cyprian was brought before the proconsul; "Thou art," said he, "Thascius Cyprian, who hast been a ringleader to men of a wicked mind; the emperor commands thee to do sacrifice, and therefore consult thy welfare." To which he answered, "I am Cyprian, I am a Christian, and I cannot sacrifice to your gods; do therefore what you are commanded; as for me, in so just a cause there needs no consultation;" and when the sentence was pronounced against him, he cried out, "I heartily thank Almighty God, who is pleased to free me from the chains of this earthly carcass." Had torments, and the very extremities of cruelty been able to sink their courage, it had soon been trodden under foot; but it was triumphant in the midst of torments, and lifted up its head higher, the greater the loads that were laid upon it; whereof there are instances enough in the histories of the church. Nay, in this triumph even the weaker sex bore no inconsiderable part. Eusebius tells us, among others that suffered in the French persecution under M. Aurelius, of one Blandina, a good woman, but of whom the church was afraid how she would hold out to make a resolute confession, by reason of the weakness of her 1 Euseb. Hist. Eccl. lib. iv. c. 15, p. 130. body, and the tenderness of her education, that when she came to it, she bore up with such invincible magnanimity, that her tormentors, though they took their turns from morning to night, and plied her with all kinds of racks and tortures, were yet forced to give over, and confess themselves overcome; wondering that a body so broken and mangled should yet be able to draw its breath. This noble athleta gained strength by suffering: she eased and refreshed herself, and mitigated the sense of present pain by repeating these words, I am a Christian ;" and, "No evil is done by us." Nor did they only generously bear these things for the sake of their religion, when they were laid upon them, but many times freely offered themselves, confessing themselves to be Christians when they knew that their confession would cost their lives. So did those noble martyrs, whom Eusebius saw at Thebais; multitudes having been executed every day with all imaginable cruelties. Sentence was no sooner passed against one party of them, but others presented themselves before the tribunal, and confessed that they were Christians, receiving the fatal sentence with all possible expressions of cheerfulness and rejoicing. The same he also reports of six young men that suffered in Palestine, spontaneously addressing themselves to the governor of the province, owning that they were Christians, and ready to undergo the severest punishments. In the acts of St. Cyprian's passion we are told, that the president having caused a mighty 3 2 1 Hist. Eccl. lib. v. c. 1, p. 157. 2 Lib. viii. c. 9, p. 301. furnace to be filled with burning lime, and fire with heaps of frankincense round about the brim of it, gave the Christians this choice, either to burn the frankincense in sacrifice to Jupiter, or to be thrown into the furnace. Whereupon three hundred men being armed with an unconquerable faith, and confessing Christ to be the Son of God, leaped into the midst of the fiery furnace, with whose fumes and vapours they were immediately suffocated and swallowed up.1 There wanted not some who in the hottest persecutions durst venture to undertake the cause of Christians, and to plead it before the face of their bitterest enemies. Thus did Vettius Epagathus a man full of zeal and piety, who seeing his fellowChristians unjustly dragged before the judgmentseat, required leave of the president that he might plead his brethren's cause, and openly show that they were not guilty of the least wickedness and impiety. Not daring to grant him so reasonable a request, the judge took the advantage of asking him whether he was a Christian, which he publicly owning, was adjudged to the same martyrdom with the rest. Of Origen we read that though then but eighteen years of age, yet he was wont not only to wait upon the martyrs in prison, but to attend upon them at their trials, and the times of their execution, kissing and embracing them, and boldly preaching and professing the faith of Christ, insomuch that had he not been many times almost miraculously preserved, the Gentiles had pelted him to death with stones, for they mortally 1 Ubi supr. p. 16. 2 Euseb. lib. vi. c. 5. p. 155. |