[ix]

CONTENTS OF VOL. I.

CENTURY I.

A SUMMARY VIEW OF THE CHURCH, SO FAR AS IT

MAY BE COLLECTED FROM THE SCRIPTURE.

CHAP. VI. Antioch and some other Asiatic Churches p. 48

p. 97

CHAP. XV. The Remainder of the first Century,

CENTURY II.

p. 145

CHAP. I. The History of Christians during the Reign of

Trajan

CHAP. II. The History of Christians during the Reigns

of Adrian and Antoninus Pius

CHAP. III. Justin Martyr

p. 174

CHAP. IV. The Emperor Marcus Antoninus and his Per-

secution of the Christians

CHAP. V. The Martyrdom of Polycarp

CHAP. VI. The Martyrs of Lyons and Vienne

p. 202

-

p. 209

-

P. 223

CHAP. VII. The State of Christians under the Reigns of

Commodus, Pertinax, and Julian.-The Story of Pe-

Tegrimus

P. 241

p. 249

CHAP. VIII. Some Account of Christian Authors who

flourished in this Century

CHAP. IX. The Heresies and Controversies of this Century

reviewed; and an Idea of the State and Progress of

Christianity during the course of it

p. 255

CHAP. V. The State of the Church during the Reigns of

Severus and Caracalla

p. 294

CHAP. VI. State of Christianity during the Reigns of

Macrinus, Heliogabalus, Alexander, Maximinus Pu-

pienus, Gordian, and Philip

CHAP. VII. The Conversion of Cyprian

-

P. 316

P. 324

CHAP. VIII. The Beginnings of the Persecution of De-

cius.-The Government of Cyprian till his Retirement,

P. 334

CHAP. IX. The History of Cyprian, and of the Western

Church, during his Retirement of two Years -

P. 339

CHAP. X. Cyprian's Settlement of his Church after his

Return, and the History of the Western Church till the

Persecution under Gallus

-

-

P. 375

CHAP. XI. The Effects of the Persecution of Decius in the

Eastern Church

P. 388

CHAP. XII. The History of the Church during the Reign

of Gallus -

CHAP. XIII. The pacific Part of Valerian's Reign, p. 427

CHAP. XIV. The last Acts and Martyrdom of Cyprian,

P. 412

p. 445

P. 455

CHAP. XV. Cyprian compared with Origen

CHAP. XVI. Other Particulars of Valerian's Persecution,

-

P. 470

p. 480

CHAP. XVII. From the Reign of Gallienus to the End

of the Century

CHAP. XVIII. Some Account of Gregory Thaumaturgus,

Theognostus, and Dionysius of Rome

p. 502

CHAP. XIX. The further Extension of the Gospel in this

Century-

p. 510

CHAP. XX. A short View of the external State of the

Church in the Third Century

p. 511

CHAP. XXI. Testimonies to the Church of Christ from

its Enemies

· P. 525

CHAP. XXII. Connexion between the Doctrine and Prac-

tice of Primitive Christians

-

P. 543

CENTURY

CENTURY I.

A SUMMARY VIEW OF THE CHURCH,

SO FAR AS IT MAY BE COLLECTED FROM

THE SCRIPTURE.

CHAP. I.

JERUSALEM.

THAT “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in the name of Jesus Christ, beginning at Jerusalem," is a passage of Scripture, which at once points out what the Christian religion is, and where we may look for its beginning. We are to describe the rise of a dispensation the most glorious to God, and the most beneficent to man. Christianity found mankind in an universal state of sin and misery. In Judea alone something of the worship of the true God existed. The forms of the Mosaic economy subsisted, but were greatly obscured and corrupted with Pharisaic traditions and Sadducean profaneness. The ancient people of God had defiled themselves with heathen profligacy: and, though there wanted not a multitude of teachers among them, yet, when He, who knew what was in man, saw the spiritual condition of this people, "he was moved with compassion toward them, because they fainted, and were as sheep without a shepherd." Certainly they were in possession of a degree at least Luke, xxiv. 47.