History of the First Ten Persecutions, Preface – History 1
The Preface.
THE estate of the Church of Christ, whereo… we … to be counted feeling members, hath bene very troublous frō the beginning of the world, not like vntounto the estate of Moab setled vponupon her dregs, & not powred out from vessell to vessel, Ierem: 48. 11. yet the more afflicted, the more beloued of God. Whose face watred with teares is faire, and whose mourning voyce is pleasant in the sight of God, Cantic. 2. 14. And like as doing of good willingly hath a great recompense of reward from God: eucn so patient suffering of euill for righteousnes sake is highly commended in Scripture, and richly rewarded in heauen. Yea the very Ethnicke Philosopher PLATO (to whome the glorie of the sufferings for Christ was vnknowne) affirmeth that men who suffer scourging, binding, tormenting, boring out of eyes, and finally strangling of their breath for righteousnes sake, are exceeding happie, or (as the word foreign imports) thrise happie: PLATO in Repub. Howbeit the superlatiue degree of suffering that can bee found amongst the Ethnickes could neuer equall the glorie of the sufferings of Christian people. They who were initiated in the mysteries of MITHRA (this word in the Persian language signifieth the sunne) could not be admitted to that honour before they had bin tried by suff…ring of four score diuerse sorts of tormentes, such as long abstinence from meate and drinke, solitarie liuing in the wildernesse a long time, triall of suffering the feruent heate of fire, and the coldnesse of water, and many other torments vntill the number of four score had bene completely filled out, Nazian, in Iulianum. These voluntarie sufferings, like as in the beginning they wanted the warrand of Gods calling, so likewise in ende they shall want the hope of Gods reward. But the mouth of God himselfe pronounceth Christians to be blessed who die in the Lord, for they rest from their laboures, and their workes follow them, Apoc. 14 13. The manifold persecutions of the Church, may bee diuided into three ranckes: some of them were fierce and bloody, some were craftie, the third was and is both cru…ll and craftie. The ten Ethnick Emperours, NERO, DOMITIAN, TRAIAN, &c. were so prodigall of the blood of the Lordes Saintes, that they powred it out like water vponupon the ground. The Arrian Emperours were subdolous and craftie, but the persecution of the Antichrist (which is the third) goeth beyond the rest both in crutltie and craft. The experience we hauehave had in our own dayes of the crueltie of the supposts of the Antichrist, and their craftie conuey of their malicious interprisesintended against our Soveraigne Lord, his royall race and noble Counsellers doth clear…y prooue that the malice and craft of the Antichrist goeth as farre beyond the malice & craft of all Emperours, as the flood of NOAH goeth beyond the inundation of Nilus.
ONVPHRIVS confoundeth the first two ran… of the persecutions by a secret preterition of the name AVRE…AN, and counteth DIOCLETIAN to be the ninth persecuting Emperour, and the ARRIAN persecution for the tenth; I can neither hauehave a good liking of his opinion nor of himselfe: His opinion smelleth of nou…ltie: himselfe was an aduocat for heretiques, and all bad reprobat causes: he will pleade the cause of HONORIVS condemned as an herctique in a generall Councill, and the cause of GREGORIE the seuinth, and impudently dare denie that euer there was a Pope of the feminine sexe sitting in the chaire of Rome. True it is that all the Emperours who liued after the ascension of our Lord into heauen vntill the Halcyon dayes of CONSTANTINE the great (onelyonly some few except, such as NERVA and PHILIPPVS and few moe) might hauehave their names most iustly inrolled into the Catalogue of persecuting Emperours, because they suffered the fire, that others had kindled, to burne on still, and quenched it not by the might of their authoritie. But these are chiefly counted persecutours, who either kindled the fire as NERO did, or else by n…we edicts and commandements set foorth in their names they added f…well to the fire, to the ende that the augmented flame of the fornace might strike the greater terrour into the heartes of Christians. A short compend of the first ten great persecutions I hauehave collected out of sundrie authors, whereinto necessitie driueth me to write of persecuting Emperours so far as appertaineth to the historie of the Church, and no further, and of persecuted Christians, specially teachers, against whome the rage of persecuting Tyrants was most ba…efully bent. The names of the heretiques also behoued to be remembred, the most malignant vleer that euer bred in the Church of Christ. These are the wandering stars of whome the Apostle Iude speaketh, to whome is reserued the blacknesse of darkenesse for euer, Epist. Iud. ver. 13. I hauehave made litle mention of Councils, except of that famous Councill holden at Ierusalem by the Apostles, Acts 15. Prouinciall and nationall Councills during the space of the first three h…ndreth yeeres were few in number, by reason of the rage of persecuting Emperours, and some of them that were gathered were obscure, and the l…sse regarded, in respect of their contradiction one to another. There was a Council gathered at Rome, another in Caesarea Palestinae, another in France, the fourth in Pontus, and one in Asia, all these were gathered for one and the selfe same purpose, to deliberate anent the keeping of Pasch day, Euseb. lib. 5 cap. 23. In Rome VICTOR was in one opinion, POLYCRATES in Asia held another opinion, IRENAEVS in France was wiser then the rest, and was more carefull to keepe vnitie in the Church of Christ, then to dispute contentiously anent keeping of dayes. The nationall Councill of Philadelphia in Arabia against ARTEMON and BERYLLVS, wherein ORIGEN was present. Euseb. hist. eccl. lib, 6. cap. 37. A Councill holden at Rome by CORNELIVS, and another in some partes of Africke for the timous suppressing of the error of NOVATVS, Cyprian, epist. lib. 1. Epist. 2. A notable Councill holden at Antiochia against PAVIVS SAMOSATENVS a pernicious heretique, Euseb: lib. 5. cap, 29. All these were gathered for suppressing of heretiques. Some Councils were gathered by CYPRIAN B of Carthage for rebaptising of those who were baptized by heretiques. This weakenesse both in CYPRIAN and in other B shops of Africke was after corrected by the Church. In the treatises that I hauehave subjoyned after eueryevery Centurie, I had regard to discouer the fountaines of errours, that began to spring vp in the first three hundreth yeeres after our Lordes ascension to heauen. Howe ancient so cuer the small beginnings of errours doe seeme, yet are they posterior vntounto that wholesome summe of true doctrine deliuered to the worlde by Christe and his Apostles. Who so listeth to vse the like order in all the rest of the Centuries vntill our owne dayes, no necessitie shall driue him to vse HERODOTES modest excuse in the description of the riuers of Nilus, and Boristhenes, whose fountaines in his dayes were vnknown, and therefore his preterition of a thing vnknown was to be fauourably comported with by the reader: but the welspring of all the rest of popish errors according to the order of time wherein they began to set foorth their head, may bee as easily pointed out by the finger as these whereof I make mention in the first three hundreth-yeeeres. The R…etoricall ornaments of NAZIANZENVS speaking to the deade, and bringing in a virgin crauing helpe at the blessed virgin, the mother of our Lord, in…ourageth LINDANVS to count invocation of Saintes to be an ancient Apostolicke tradition. Nazianzenus in laudem Cypr. ye… could be not be ignorant that invocation of Saintes began not to take roote before the foure hundreth yeere of our Lord, and that in great weakenesse of doubtsome speaches, O anima Constantini foreign, That is, O soule of CONSTANTINVS, if thou hast any sense or feeling, to wit, of things done amongst vsus, Nazian. oratione …. contraJulianum.
Therefore the treatise of invocation of Saintes may more conveniently he subjoyned to the fourth Centurie. The other cause wherefore I hauehave compiled these treatises, is to declare how circumspectly we should beware of the small beginnings of defection from ancient veritie, because the beginning of errour is like vntounto a soft vapour rising out of the sea, thickning in the aire, conuerting into a cloud, and in end sending downe mightie stormes and tempests vponupon the earth. Who could hauehave once imagined that Natalitia Martyrum a thing in i… selfe not vnlawfull, could hauehave turned to that horrible abuse that now is in Poperie, that all these holy. Martyrs are made mediators of our intercession? Or who could hauehave imagined that the reuerent keeping of the reliques of Saints could hauehave turned in end vntounto adoration and knceling before them with confidence to be the better heard of God? The Lord grant we may beware in time of the beginnings of defections both in doctrine and in maners that hauehave cr…pt in of late dayes into this lande.
Amen.
To the Reader.
IT was admired of old, that APHRAATES who liued in the cottages of the wildernesse al his time, yet once he was found in the streetes of Antiochia in the dayes of the Emperour VALENS, Theodor. hist. eccl. lib. 4. cap. 26. hee excufed the change of his former behauiour, by the similitude of a modest virgin lurking quietly in secret corners of her fathers house so long as it is in safetie, but if it bee set on fire, it is skaithfull modestie to lurke any longer, necessitie compelleth her to runne out to the streetes, to crie and giuegive warning of the pe…ill ofher fathers house. This example of APHRAATES might sufficiently excuse mine vnaccustomed boldnesse to set foorth my head, that hath bene lapped vp so long in hurtfull silence. But now the power of darknesse in creaseth, and as the Prophet saith, Woevnto vsus, for the day declineth, and the shadowes of the euening are stretched out, Ierem. 6. 4. Yea the shadow of mount Athos reacheth to the Isle Lemnos, a sure fore-running token of the going downe of the Sunne. Now it is time to creepe out of our subterraneall caues, and to giuegive warning to sloken the fire in time before it spread further, and bring greater desolation to the House of our GOD. Papists are waxed insolent of late dayes, like vntounto Serpentes in Summer weather taking courage and biting the heeles of horses, that the riders may fall, not sparing both in worde and write to reproach our religion, as a thing not countenanced with antiquitie, and our Ministrie as altogether naked and voyde of the knowledge of ancient learning. Shall wee nowe stand as idle men doe in market places one looking vponupon another? Rather then wee should sustaine such apparent dammage and skaith, through vntimous silence, I had rather step foorth with the Lacedemonian souldier impotent of his legges, and neither meete to fight, nor able to flie, yet had he this comfort that possible he might blunt the edge of his enemies sworde, and make others ashamed who were meeter for fighting then he was. Take in good season my weake trauelles, Christian Reader, I hauehave many honest witnesses who knowe that I was neuer purposed to send foorth vntounto the open view of the world any thing that came from me. Howe this compend came into the Printers hande I remit vntounto his faithful testimonie. It was my purpose, in write to hauehave giuen warning vntounto noble houses who had bene my ordinarie auditors to beware of the contagion of lying doctrine, that is nowesecretly spreading in our land: this being done, the ordinarie exercises of my calling would hauehave beene my chiefe imployment, if the Lord pleased. Therefore [gentle Reader] take in the better parte the Goates haire, & Rammes skinnes that I present to couer the Tabernacle of my God. I referre the ornaments of gold, siluer and precious stones for beautifying the inner parts of the Tabernacle to others vponupon whome God hath vouchsafed greater gifts, Exod. 25.
Farewell.