troversy is, that Cyprian justly enough decides that those whose weak state of health did not permit them to be washed in water, were yet sufficiently baptized by being sprinkled, and observes that the virtue of baptism ought not to be estimated, in a carnal manner, by the quantity of external apparatus.

How weak alas is man! A peace of three years has set the church in a flame among themselves for a trifle! and one of the best and wisest of men, in his day, by his zeal for unity and his care against innovations, is betrayed into the support of an indefensible point of mere ceremony, which tends to the encouragement of superstition and the weakening of brotherly love. How soon do we forget that "the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost!" With what difficulty is any thing of the real love of Jesus and the fruits of it preserved in the church. All this proves in the strongest manner how mighty and gracious the Lord is in still preserving a church in the earth, how dark and corrupt man is, how active and subtile Satan is, how precious is that blood which cleanses from all sin, and how true is that book which contains such salutary doctrine, and so faithfully describes the misery of man! How safely may its account of the way of salvation be rested on! How pleasing the prospect it exhibits of the church above!

The reader would justly think my time and his own ill spent in unravelling the niceties of this trifling controversy. God has a scourge for his froward children; persecution lowers again with recollected strength, and christians are called on to forget their idle, internal squabbles, to humble themselves before him, and prepare for scenes of horror and desolation.

CHAPTER XIV.

The last Acts and Martyrdom of Cyprian. THE change in the disposition of Valerian towards

the christians, which now took place, is one of the most memorable instances of the instability of human characters. More than all his predecessors he was disposed to kindness towards the christians. Not even Philip was so courteous and friendly towards them. His palace was full of the friends of Jesus, and was looked on as a sanctuary. But now after he had reigned three years, he was induced by his favourite Macrianus to commence a deadly persecution. This man dealt largely in magical enchantments and abominable sacrifices, he slaughtered children, and scattered the entrails of new born babes.* The persecution of christians was an exploit worthy of a mind so fascinated with diabolical wickedness and folly. He found in Valerian but too ready a disciple. The persecution began in the year 257, and continued the remainder of his reign, three years and a half. Stephen of Rome appears to have died a natural death about the beginning of it. For there is no evidence of his martyrdom, and we want the proofs which might thence be afforded, whether his turbulent and aspiring spirit was combined with any thing of genuine christianity. He was succeeded by Sixtus.

Cyprian, who had escaped two persecutions, was now made the victim of the third, though by slow degrees, and attended with circumstances of comparative lenity. Every thing relating to him is so interesting, that it may not be amiss to prosecute his story in a connected man⚫ner to his death, and to reserve the narrative of other objects of this persecution till afterwards.

He was seized by the servants of Paternus the proconsul of Carthage, and brought into his council-chamber. "The sacred emperors, Valerian and Gallienus," says Paternus, "have done me the honour to direct letters to me, in which they have decreed, that all men ought to adore the gods whom the Romans adore, and on pain of being slain with the sword. I have heard that you despise the worship of the gods, whence I advise you to consult for yourself and honour them." "I am a christian," replied the prelate, "and know no god but the one true God, who created heaven and earth, the sea, and all things in them. This God we christians serve; to him we pray night and day for all men, and even for the emperors." "You shall die the death of a malefactor, if you persevere in this inclination."* "That is a good inclination which fears God," answered Cyprian, "and therefore must not be changed." "You must then by the will of the princes, be banished." "He is no exile," it was replied, "who has God in his heart, for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof." Paternus said, "Before you go, tell me where are your presbyters, who are said to be in this city ?" With much presence of mind Cyprian reminded him of the edicts made by the best Roman princes against the practice of informers: "They ought not therefore to be discovered by me, but you may find them, and you yourselves do not approve of men offering themselves voluntarily to you." "I will make you discover them by torments." "By mc," the intrepid bishop rejoined, "they shall not be discovered." "Our princes have ordered that christians hold no conventicles, and whoever breaks this rule shall be put to death." "Do what you are ordered," Cyprian calmly replied.

Paternus however was not disposed to hurt Cyprian. Most probably he respected the character of the man, which by this time must have been highly esteemed, through a shining series of good works in Africa. Having made some ineffectual attempts to work on his fears,

The passion of Cyprian in Pam. Edit. Fleury's Hist. b. 7.

he sent him into banishment to Curubis, a little town fifty miles from Carthage, situate by the sea, over against Sicily. The place was healthy, the air good, and by his own desire he had private lodgings. The citizens of Curubis, during the eleven months which he lived among them, treated him with great kindness, and he was repeatedly visited by christians. Here he served his Divine Master in good works, and Paternus in the interim died.

While he was here he heard that the persecutors had seized nine bishops, with several priests and deacons and a great number of the faithful, even virgins and children, and after beating them with sticks, had sent them to work in the copper-mines in the mountains. Every one of these bishops had been present at the last council of Carthage, and their names were Nemesius, Felix, Lucius, a second Felix, Liteus, Polus, Victor, Jader, and Dativus. I cannot account for the better treatment which Cyprian received from the Roman governors in any other way than by the respect that was paid to his superior quality, labours, and virtues. Be that as it may, Providence favoured him in a peculiar manner. But his sympathizing spirit could not but be with his brethren; and what he felt, and how he thought, see expressed in a letter to Nemesian and the rest.

"Your glory required, blessed and beloved brethren, that I ought to come and embrace you, were it not that the confession of the same name has confined me also to this place but I exhibit myself to you as well as I can, and if it is forbidden me to come to you in body, yet I come in spirit and affection, expressing my soul in letters, how I exult in your honours, reckoning myself a partner with you, though not in suffering, yet in the fellowship of love. How can I hold my peace when I know such glorious things of my dearest brethren, with which the divine appointment hath honoured you; part of you having already been consummated in martyrdom, who will receive a crown of righteousness from the Lord, and the rest as yet in prisons, or in mines, and bonds, exhibiting by the tediousness of punishment VOL. I.

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greater arguments to arm and strengthen the brethren, by the retardation of torments advancing to a higher proficiency in christian glory, and sure to receive in heaven according to their sufferings.

"In truth, that the Lord has thus honoured you affords me no surprise when I consider the blameless course of your faith in the church, your firm adherence to the divine ordinance, your integrity, concord, humility, diligence, mercy in cherishing the poor, constancy in defence of the truth, and strickness of christian discipline; and that nothing might be wanting in you as patterns of good works even now in the confession of your voice, and in the sufferings of the body, you stir up the minds of the brethren to divine martyrdom, by exhibiting yourselves as leaders of goodness, so that while the flock follow their pastor and imitate their presidents, they may be crowned in like manner by the Lord. That you have been grievously beaten by clubs, and have been initiated by that punishment in christian confession, is a thing not to be lamented. The body of a christian trembles not on account of clubs, all whose hope is in wood. The servant of Christ acknowledges the emblem of his salvation; redeemed by wood to eternal life, by wood he is advanced to the crown. O feet, embarrassed with fetters indeed, but quickly about to run to Christ in a glorious course! Let malice and cruelty fetter you as they please, quickly you will come from earth and its sorrows to the kingdom of heaven. In those mines the body is not refreshed by a bed, but Christ is its consolation and rest; your limbs, fatigued with labours, lie on the ground; but to lie down with Christ is no punishment. Filth and dirt defile your limbs, void of the cleansing bath; but you are inwardly washed from all uncleanness. Your allowance of bread is but scanty; but man doth not live by bread

I once for all observe, that the want of a just classical taste, in com. parison of that of the Augustan age, and the excess of false rhetorical ornaments, every where appear in Cyprian. This was the property not of the man, but of the times, and the meanness of the pun in this place will be forgiven by all who relish the preciousness of the doctrine con nected with it.