The Theater of Gods Judgments, Book 1 · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. Of those that persecuted the Sonne of God and his Church.
IF they who in the law injured and persecuted the Church of God, were punished according to their deserts, as we have already heard; is it any marvell then if the enemies and persecuters of our Lord and Saviour Christ Iesus, which labour by all means to discountenance and frustrate his Religion, and to oppresse his Church, doe feele the heavy and fearefull vengeance of God upon them for their very wickednesse and unbelie…e? No verily, for he that honoureth not the Sonne, honoureth not the Father which sent him, and is guilty therefore before God, of impiety and prophanenesse. From this hainous crime King Herod in Mat. 2.no wise can be exempted, that caused all the Infants of Bethlehem of two yeares old and under, to be cruelly murthered, in hope thereby to put the true Messias and Saviour of the world to death. For which deed, accompained This example belongeth also (in regard of cruelty) to the sixth commandement. Lib. 2. Cap. 11. 17. Booke of the Iewish antiquity, cap. 8.with many other strange cruelties, as by killing the ordinary Iudges of the house of David, and his owne wife and children, this Caitise was tormented with sundry intolerable griefes, and at last devoured by an horrible and most fearefull death. For (as Iosephus reporteth) his body was boyled, and his bowels gnawne in two by a soft and slow fire, fretting inwardly, without any outward appearance of heate: besides the ravenous and insatiable desire of eating, which so possessed him, that without chewing, his meat in whole lumps descended into his body, devouring it so fast as it could be throwne into his mouth, and never ceasing to farse his greedy throat with continuall sustenance: moreover, his feet were so swolne and pust up with such a flegme, that a man might see through them; his privy parts so rotten and full of vermine, and his breath so stinking, that few or none durst approach neer unto him; yea his owne servants for sooke him. Now lying in this wretched plight, when this wicked man saw no remedy could be found to asswage his griefe, hee went about to kill himselfe, and being not able to performe it, he was constrained to endure all the pangs of a most horrible, lingring, and languishing death, and at last mad and miserable bestraught of sense and reason, to end his dayes.
As for Herod the Tetrarch, sirnamed Antipas (who to please Herodias, Luke 9. 7.had caused Iohn Baptist to be beheaded) when hee had likewise prepared snares for our Saviours feet, and being sent to him by Pilate, to quit himself, and gratifie him withall, had jeasted and mocked at him his belly full, This example in regard of divorce, be longeth to the seventh Commandement. Lib 2. cap. 29. Ioseph. of the Iewish Antiquity, l. 8. c. 6. Euseb.behold, his reproaches and mockes (was he never so subtle) turned into his owne bosome: for first, after that his army had been discomfited by the souldiers of King Aretas, whose daughter (in regard of Herodias his brother Philips wife) he had repudiated; a further shame and dishonour befell him, even to be deprived of his Royall dignity; and not only to be brought into a low and base estate, but also being robbed of his goods, to be banished into a farre countrey, and there to make an end of the rest of his life.
As touching Pilate the governour of Iudea, he did so excell in wickednesse and injustice, that notwithstanding the restraint of his owne conscience, the law of civill equity, and the advertisement of his own wise, Euseb.yet he condemned Christ Iesus, the just and innocent, to the death of the crosse: albeit hee could not but know the power of his miracles, the renowne whereof was spread into all places. But ere long having been constrained to erect the image of the Emperour Caligula in the Temple of Ierusalem to be worshipped, he was sent for to make personall appearance at Rome, to answer to certaine accusations of cruelty which were by the Iewes objected against him: And in this journey being afflicted in conscience, Euseb. Eutrop. lib. 7.with the number and weight of his misdeeds, like a desperate man, to prevent the punishment which he feared, willingly offered violence to his owne life, and killed himselfe.
The first Emperour that tooke in hand to persecute the Christians, was Nero the Tyrant; picking a quarrell against them for setting the City on Tertul, Niceph. 8 Commandement. Calumniation Lib. 2. cap. 44.fire; which being himselfe guilty of, hee charged them withall, as desirous to finde out any occasion to doe them hurt: wherefore under pretence of the same crime, discharging his owne guilt upon their backs, hee exposed them to the fury of the people, that tormented them very sore, as if they had been common burners and destroyers of Cities and the deadliest enemies of mankinde. Hereupon the poore Innocents were apprehended, Tacit. Ann. l. 5.and some of them clad with skinnes of wilde beasts, were torne in pieces by dogges; others crucified, or made bone-fires of on such heapes, that the flame arising from their bodies, served in stead of torches for the night. To conclude, such horrible cruelty was used towards them, that many of their very enemies did pitty their miseries. But at last this wretch, the causer of all, seeing himselfe in danger to be murthered by one appointed for that purpose (a just reward for his horrible and unjust dealing) hastened his death by killing himselfe, as it shall be shewed more at large in the second booke.
The author of the second persecution against the Christians, was Domitian, Suet. Refer this also to the …4. ch. of this booke. Suet. Eutrop.who was so puft up and swolne with pride, that he would needs ascribe unto himselfe the name of God. Against this man rose up his houshold servants, who by his wives consent slue him with daggers in his privy chamber: his body was buried without honour, his memory cursed to posterity, and his ensignes and trophies throwne downe and defaced.
Trajan, who albeit in all things, and in the government of the Empire also, shewed himselfe a good and sage Prince, yet did hee dash and bruise himselfe against this stone with the rest, and was reckoned the third persecuter of the Church of Christ: for which cause he underwent also the cruell Dion.vengeance of God, and felt his heavy hand upon him: for first he fell into a palsie, and when he had lost the use of his sences (perswading himselfe that he was poisoned) got a dropsy also, and so died in great anguish.
Hadrian in the ninth yeare of his Empire caused tenne thousand Christians to be crucified in Armenia at one time; and after that ceased not to stirre up a very hot persecution against them in all places. But God persecuted him, and that to his destruction; first with an issue of bloud, wherewith he was so weakned and disquieted, that oftentimes he would faine Mandat. 7. l. …. c. 12. Spart.have made away himselfe: next with a consumption of the lungs & lights, which he spate out of his mouth continually; and thirdly with an unsatiable dropsie: so that seeing himselfe in this horrible torment, he desired poison to hasten his death, or a knife to make quicke riddance; but when all those means were kept backe, he was inforced to endure still, and at last to die in great misery.
Whilest Marcus Antonius, sirnamed Verus, swayed the empire, there were exceeding cruelties set abroach against the poore Christians every Euseb. Spart.where, but especially at Lions and Vienna in Daulphin (as Eusebius in his Ecclesiasticall History recordeth;) wherefore he wanted not his punishment, for he died of an Apoplexy, after he had lien speechlesse three dayes.
After that Severus had proclaimed himselfe a profest enemy to Gods Church, his affaires began to decline, and he found himselfe pestered with divers extremities, and set upon with many warres; and at length assaulted with such an extreme paine throughout his whole body, that languishing and consuming, he desired oft to poison himself, and at last died in great distresse. Vitellius Saturninus one of his Lievtenants in those exploits Tert. …d Scap.became blinde: another called Clandius Herminianus Governour of Capadocia, who in hatred of his owne wife that was a Christian, had extremely afflicted many of the faithfull, was afterwards himselfe afflicted with the pestilence, persecuted wi…h vermine bred in his owne bowels, and devoured of them alive in most miserable sort. Now lying in this misery, he desired not to be knowne or spoken of by any, lest the Christians that were lest unmurthered, should rejoice at his destruction, confessing also that those plagues did justly betide him for his cruelties sake.
Dicius, in hatred of Philip his predecessor, that had made some profession Oros. l. 7. c. 14.of Christianity, wrought tooth and naile to destroy the Church of Christ, using all the cruelties and torments which his wit could devise, against all those which before time had offered themselves to be persecuted for that cause. But his devillish practises were cut short by means of the war which he waged against the Scythians; wherein, when he had raigned not full two Euseb. l. 7. c. 1. Ecclesiast. Hist.yeares, his army was discomfited, and he with his son cruelly killed, Others Pomponim.say, that to escape the hands of his enemies, he ran into a whirl…pit, and that his body was never found after.
Neither did the just hand of God plague the Emperour onelyonly, but also as well the heathen Gentiles throughout all Provinces and dominions of the Romane Empire. For immediately after the death of this Tyrant, God Euseb. l. 7. c. 21.sent such a plague and pestilence amongst them, lasting for the space of ten yeares together, that horrible it is to heare, and almost incredible to beleeve. Dionysius writing to Hierax a Bishop of Aegypt, declareth the mortality of this plague to have been so great at Alexandria, where hee was Bishop, that there was no house in the whole city free. And although the greatnesse of the plague touched also the Christians somewhat, yet it scourged the heathen Idolaters much more: beside that, the behaviour of the one and the other was most divers: for as the foresaid Dionysius doth record, the Christians through brotherly love and piety did not refuse one to visit and comfort another, and to minister to him what need required: notwithstanding it was to them great danger; for divers there were, who in closing up their eies, in washing their bodies, and int…rring them in the ground, were next themselves which followed them to their graves. Yet all this s…ayed not them from doing their duty, and shewing mercy one to another. Whereas the Gentiles contrarily being extremely visited by the hand of God, felt the plague, but considered not the striker; neither yet considered they their neighbour, but every man shifting for himselfe, cared not for one another. Such as were infected, some they would cast out of the doores halfe dead, to be devoured of dogs and beasts; some they let die within their houses, without all succor; some they suffered to lie unburied, for that no man durst come neere them: and yet notwithstanding, for all their voyding and shifting, the postilence followed them whithersoever they went, and miserably consumed them. Insomuch that Dionysius reporteth of his owne city Alexandria, That there was not left in the city, of old and young, so many as there was wont to be old men from threescore yeares upwards. This plague, though it spred it selfe over the whole world, yet especially it raged where the Edicts of the Emperour had beene against the Christians, whereby many places became utterly desolate.
Valerian, albeit in the beginning of his Empire he shewed himself somwhat mild and gentle towards the professors of religion, yet afterwards he became their deadly enemy; but when he had terribly persecuted them in his dominions, it was not long ere he was taken prisoner in the Persian wars, being seventy yeares old, and made a slave to his conquerour all the rest of his life: And whose condition was so miserable, that Sapor King of In the Sermon of the congregatiō of saints Euseb. Hist. Eccles. l. 7. c 30.Persia used his backe as a blocke or stirrop to mount upon his horse. Yea he dealt so cruelly with the poore old man (as Eusobius testifieth) that to make up the full number of his miseries, he caused him to be fleine alive, and poudred with salt.
The like severity of Gods terrible judgment is also to be noted in Glaudius Henric. de Erford.his President, and minister of his persecution…: For God gave him up to be possessed and vexed of the Devill, in such sort, that biting off his owne tongue in many small pieces, he so ended his dayes.
Neither did Galienus the sonne of Valerian, after the captivity of his father, utterly escape the righteous hand of God: for beside the miserable captivity of his father, whom he could not restore, such strange portents, and such earthquakes did happen, also such tumults, commotions, and rebellions did follow, that Trebellio doth reckon up to the number of thirty together, which at sundry places, all at one time, tooke upon them to be Emperours of the Romane Monarchy: by the means whereof hee was not able to succour his father, though he would: notwithstanding the said Galienus, being, as is thought, terrified by the example of his father, did remove, Euseb. l. 7. c. 13or at leastwise moderate the persecution stirred up against the Christians, as it may appeare by his Edict set forth in Eusebius.
Aurelian being upon point to trouble the quiet of the church, which it a while enjoyed under the Emperour Galien; even whilst he was devising new practises against it, a thunderbolt fell from heaven at his feet, which so amazed him, that his malitious and bloud-thirsty mind was somewhat rebated and repressed from doing that which he pretended; untill that reourning Vopis. Eutrop. Niceph.to his old bent, and persevering to pursue his purpose, when Gods thunder could not terrifie him, he stirred up his owne servants to cut his throat.
Dioclesian went another way to worke, for he did not set abroach all his practises at one push, but first assayed by subtle means to make those that were in his army to renounce their faith; then by open proclamation commanded, that their churches should be rased and beaten downe, their Bibles burned and torne in pieces: that they that were Magistrates, or bore Ruffin.any publique office in the commonwealth, if they were Christians, should be deposed: and that all bondmen that would forsake their profession, should be enfranchised. When hee had thus left no devise unpractised that might further to abolish and destroy the religion of Christ, and perceiving that, notwithstanding all his malice and cruell rage, it every day (through the wonderfull constancy of Martyrs) increased and grew even against the haire; with very spight and anger he gave up the Empire. And lastly, when he had been tormented with diverse and strange diseases, and that his house had been set on fire with lightning, and burned with fire from heaven, and he himselfe so scarred with thunder, that he knew not where to hide him, he fell mad and killed himselfe. There was joyned to this man in the government of the Empire, one Maximilian, whose cruelty and tyranny against the Christians was so outragious also, that upon a solemne festivall day, when infinite numbers of them were assembled together at Mandat. 7. lib. 2. cap. 12.Nicomedia, in a Temple, to serve God, he sent a band of Atheists to inclose them, and burne the Temple and them together, as they indeed did: for there were consumed at that bone-fire (as Nicephorus writeth) twenty Euseb. Hist. Eccles. 7, & 8. c. 16 Niceph. l. 7. c. 6.thousand persons. In like sort dealt he with a whole city in Phrygia, which after he had long besieged, hee caused to be burnt to cinders, with all the inhabitants therein. But the end of this wretch was like his life, even miserable: for lying a while sicke of a grievous disease, the very vermine and such horrible stinke came forth of his body, that for shame and griefe hee hung himselfe.
Maximinus that raigned Emperour in the East, was constrained to interrupt Niceph. 7. 12.and make cease his persecution which he had begun, by means of a dangerfull and grievous sicknesse, and to confirme a generall peace to all Christians in his dominions, by publique Edicts.
His sicknesse was thus: In the privy members of his body, there grew a sudden putrifaction, and after in the bottome of the same a botchy corrupt bile, with a fistula, consuming and eating up his intrails, out of the which came swarming an innumerable multitude of lice, with such a pestiferous stinke, that no man could abide him; and so much the more, for that all the grossenesse of his body, by abundance of meat before he fell sicke, was turned into fat; which fat now putrified and stinking, was so ugsome and horrible, that none that came to him could abide the sight thereof, by reason whereof the Physitians which had him in cure, some of them not able to abide the intolerable stink, were commanded to be slaine; other some, because they could not heale him, being past hope, were also cruelly put to death. At length, being put in remembrance, that his disease was sent of God, hee began to repent of the cruelty which he had shewed the Christians, and forthwith commanded all persecution to cease.
But (alas) this peace was so brittle, that it lasted but six moneths; for even then he sought by all means possible againe to trouble and disquiet their rest, and sent forth a new Edict quite contrary to the former, importing their utter destruction. And thus being nothing amended, but rather made worse by his sicknesse, it affailed him afresh, in such sort, that every day growing in extremity, as he grew in cruelty, it at last brought him to his death, his carkasse being all rotten and full of corruption and wormes. Saint Chrysostome writeth of him, That the apple of his eye fell out before he died.Against the Gentiles.
Maxentius and Licinius, the one Emperour of Italy, the other of the East, perceiving how the Emperour Constantine that raigned in the West, was had in great reputation, for maintaining the cause of the Christians, began also to doe the like: but by and by their malice and hypocrisie discovered it selfe, when they undertook to trouble and afflict those whom before they seemed to favour. For which cause Constantine taking arms against them, destroyed them both one after another; for Maxentius thinking to save himselfe upon a Bridge on Tyber, was deceived by the breaking of the Bridge, and so drenched and drowned in the water. Licinius was taken and put to death. And thus two Tyrants ended their dayes, for persecuting the Church of Christ.
In the tenth yeare of the persecution of Dioclesian, Galerius his chiefe Lanquet. Chro.minister and instrument in that practise, fell into a grievous sicknesse, having a sore risen in the neither part of his belly, which consumed his privy members, from whence swarmed great plenty of wormes engendred by the putrefaction. This disease could not be holpen by any Chirurgery or Physick: wherefore he confessed that it justly happened unto him for his monstrous cruelty towards the Christians, and called in his proclamations which he had published against them. Howbeit notwithstanding he died miserably, and as some write slew himselfe.