The Tragedies of Tyrants Exercised Upon the Church of God, Chapter 5
Of the. 5. tragical acte or perſecution, wherein Paule and the Chriſtian Church ſufferd many thinges, and the Apoſtles ended their liues full of afflictions, by ſheadyng their bloud. Chapter. v.
THe fifte perſecution againſte Paule yt Apoſtle continued many yeres, ye Church alſo which beléeued the Goſpel partly for Paule wt whom they ſuffered, and partly for the Goſpel of Chriſt abode ſundry troubles and afflictions, & by that meanes was partaker of this perſecution.
For when Paule had begun to preachActes. 9. 2. Cor. 12. the Goſpel at Damaſcus, about the yere after Chriſte. xxxiii. and iourneynge through Arabya was retourned to Damaſcus, and there diſputed earneſtly againſt the Iewes: Aretas the King layyng watche at the Cittie gates, ſought hym to kyll hym, when the faithfull not beyng able otherwiſe to ſaue hym, let downe Paule by a Rope through the wall in a baſket, and ſo with great care and dillygence they kept him aliue.
At Antioch alſo in Piſidia, Paule gatheredActes. 13. together a great congregatiō vntounto Chriſt of Gentiles and Iewes, but the Iewes which would not imbrace Chriſt ſtirryng vp a perſecucion againſt Paule and Barnabas, draue them out of that Citie, and Region.
In Iconium alſo, the Iewes agayneActes. 14. mo…ued a tumult againſt Paul, wherhe with his companion Barnabas were in forced to prouide for thēſelues by flight. Alſo in Liſtra the ſame Iewes brought Paul ſo far into hatred, y• being ſtoned & drawn forth of y• towne as dead: yet chriſt raiſed him again to do him ſeruice At Phillippos in Macedonia Paul and his fellow Silas, were taken, ſcourged with rods, and caſt into a very ſtraight priſon, out of whiche notwithſtanding Chriſt deliuered him, that he might yet preach the Goſpell, to moe nations.
Moreouer at Theſſalonica there wasActes. 17. agreeuous perſecution moued againſte Paul, wher he was conſtrained through helpe of the faithfull, to eſcape away by night. The lyke he ſuffred at Berroea. At Athens, the Philoſophers and wyſe men of this world, reprochfully termed him a trifler, rayled at hym, and mockedActes. 18. hym, as the like was done to the lord himſelf. Likewiſe in the famous citie of Gréece called Corinthe, hée was apprended and brought to the lieutenā tes ſeate of iudgment and ſharply accuſed, but then alſo the Lorde deliuered him out of the power of his enemies.
But what gréeuous thinges Paule Actes. 19. 1. Cor. 1.ſuffred in Aſia at Epheſus, are by himſelfe recited in theſe wordes: I woulde not hauehave you ignoraunt, brethern, of the trouble and affliction which hapned vntounto vsus in Aſia, how we were wonderfully greued aboue our power, that we were in diſpaire euen of lyfe. But we receiued a decree within our ſelues touchyng death, that wee ſhoulde not truſt in our ſelues, but in God whiche raiſeth the dead. In Luke alſo in y• Act. of the Apoſtles there is ſet forth a notable deſcription of the tumult which was at Epheſus. VponUpon occaſion of which tumult there the faithfull remayned in great ſorow, heauines, and daunger, alſo by reaſon of the continuall waite layyng and perſecutions, wherwith the vnfaithfull both Iewes and Gentiles perſecuted them. After ſo many daungers,Actes. … afflictions, and moſt greuous traueles, when Paule was arriued at Ieruſalem bringing wt him a great, and ritch treaſure, whiche he had gathered as a donatiue for y• pouerty of y• citie, and relm…: there againe y• Iewes raiſed a moſt wofull ſeditiō, & apprehending Paul ſcourged him biterly wher he had bin vtterli deſtroyd, vnles the Tribune cōming in al ſpéede wt his ſouldiers had taken him out of their handes. This beinge doone: hée was by the tribune brought into the Eccleſiaſticall Act. 23.court, where hée was alſo ſcourged, and vnworthely intreated. Afterward, bicauſe of the great treaſon of the Jewes being guarded with a ſufficient power of horſemen, and footemen hée was ſent from Jeruſalem to Caeſarea, vntounto Foelix the lieutenaunt, Beefore whom when he came: the cheif of the Iewes accuſed him, layinge manie thinges to his charge, wherin al though hée could not bee fownd giltie: notwithſtanding hée was committed to indurance, wher hée remayned the ſpace of two whole yeeres.Act. 25.
Moreouer, he was euelly delt with Act. 2 7.all by Feſtus alſo the new lieutenaunt who ſucceeded Foelix, & after ward with other priſoners deliuered ouer vntounto the Centurians and ſouldiours, imbarked, and with a longe and daungerous iourney brought to Rome.
But Nero then reigninge at Rome Act. 28.hée remayned agayne priſoner there two yeres. Some are of opinion that at this time he was ſlaine with the ſword by Nero, others thinke that hée was acquited in iudgement by Nero: as hée himſelf witneſſeth in the ij. to Timoth. the .iiii. chapter, and béeinge ſo ſet at libertie, that hée departed directly intoo Spaine, as béefore hée had declared in the Epiſtle to the Romanes, that hée was deſierous to take in hand that iourney. Rom. 15.And traueylinge through Spaine, and France, they ſay how hée came the ſeconde time to Rome, in the later yeres of the reigne of Nero, and there was ſlayn with the ſworde at Neroes commaundement. But this wée leaue as vncertain: howbeit this is euident, wherin all doo agrée, that the moſt holly Apoſtle Paule was putte to death at Rome, vnderunder Nero.
The traueiles, afflictions, and ſundrie calamities whiche for none offence Paules affliccions.hée ſuſtayned, but for Chriſt his woord, and the Churche, the Apoſtle himſelfe imputynge them to his enemies, and falſe Apoſtles: reciteth in a bréeif catalogue in theſe woordes: Are they the miniſters of Chriſte? I ſpeake like a foole, I am more, in labours more abū dant, 2. Cor. 11.in woundes ſurpaſſynge them, in priſon more commonly, in death Deut. 25.often. Of the Iewes I receaued fiue times fourtie ſtripes ſauynge-one, I was thriſe ſcourged with roddes, and once ſtoned, thriſe I ſuffred ſhipwrak night and day hauehave I beene on the deepe ſea. In iourneinge often, in daunger of waters, in daunger of theues, indaunger of mine owne countriemen in daunger of the heathen, in daunger in the Citie, in daunger in the wildernes, in daunger in the ſea, in daunger amonge falſe brethren. In weerines and traueyle, in watchinge often, in hunger and thirſt, in faſtinge often, in colde and nakednes. Beeſide thoſe thinges which happen outwardly vntounto mee, for the heape of them dayly riſeth againſt mee, which is to ſay, the care for all Churches of Chriſte.
Now therfore, by ſo many afflictions which Paule ſuſtained, and by the victory & good ſucceſſe of his enemies, can it be gathered that Paules doctrine was erronious, or elſe God would hauehave defended him, nether hauehave ſuffred him to hauehave bin ouer whelmed wt ſo many calamities, and reproches? Shal wée ther fore; diſpute againſt god, whi he ſuffreth wicked mē ſomutch to preuaile againſt the faithful, and his holy miniſters? or why he permitteth the ſacred Churche of Chriſte to ſuffre ſo mutch in it ſelfe, and in the faythful paſtor therof Paule? The godly men ſuffred all theſe things patiently and ouercame them, and continued alwaies conſtant vnderunder y• croſſe.
The cauſe why the Iewes were enemies to Paul, & to y• church: ſurely was none other then y•, wherwith being before mooued, they perſecuted Chriſt, & y• apoſtles, as we hauehave declared before.
Moreouer, hyſtories beare recorde, that the twelue Apoſtles in all their life Al the apoſtles after afflictions were put to death.time, and durynge the tearme of their adminiſtration in the goſpel: ſuſtayned gréeuous afflictions, and were all of them for Chriſte and his woords ſake, perſecuted, and put to death.
Although all writers doo not agrée of their kinds of death, yet they al cōſtanly affirme, y• thei were miſerably ſlain. Peter and his brother Andrew, were both crucified. Iames the elder, as wée hauehave ſhewen before, was béeheaded by Peter and Andrevv.Herod ſurnamed Agrippa. Whoſe brother Iohn the Euangeliſt the béeloued Iames the elder.diſciple of Chriſt, only of them al is Iohn Euan.reported to hauehave died a naturall death. Notwithſtandyng hée was apprehended and brought bounde out of Aſia to Rome, and conuented béefore Domitiā th'emperour, and there, as Tertullian writeth, plunged ouer head and eares in hot boylinge oyle. But after that, the lorde graciouſly prouiding for him, this cruell déede nothing indamaged his life: hée was baniſhed into y• Iſle Pathmos. Phillip was nayled to a croſſe, & there hangynge: was ſtoned to death. Barthelmew, thei ſay, was by his enemies Phillippe.moſt horribly flayne, and afterward béeheaded. Otherſome ſay hée was Bartelmew.burnt. The enemies of Chriſte, thruſt Thomas through with a ſworde, and ſo, as it is reported, they dealt with Mathew. Iames the younger, the paſtor & Thomas.doctor of the church of Ieruſalem, was throwne downe headlonge from an Mathew. Iames the leſſe.high place, and afterwarde ſlayne beinge buffeted with ſtones vntill hée died. Likewiſe both Apoſtles, Simon Simon, and Iude.and Iudas Thaddaeus ended their liues, beinge by the heathen ſlain in a certen temple of Idols. Some alſo ſay that Mathias was crucified, others ſay Mathias.hée was ſtoned, and béeheaded. Al theſe bare witnes of Chriſte, not with their mouth and doctrine only, but with ther blood alſo, and for the trueth of the goſpell which they preached, were contented to die with wel willing, and moſte valient courage.
Now, for as mutch as all the Apoſtles were ſlayn by the enimies of God Note.who obtayned the ſouerainitye ouer them as apperteyninge to the bodye: ſhall wée therfore ſay that ſuperſtitions of Gods enemies were right, and the Apoſtles religion and doctrine falſe and erroneous? who ſhall accuſe God, bycauſe hée deliuered not his ſeruantes from a reprochfull death but that hée gaue to the worſt men in the whole worlde, ſutch power agaynſt his holly Apoſtles? Who although they were miniſters of the trueth, and innocent men: yet were they put to death for the greateſt enemies of God, as malifactours and wicked perſons, for ſutche were they accuſed to bée: and therefore, at this our age, in the lyke cauſe, wee muſt iudge ſo of their beléefe & doctrine, who ar ſhamefully executed for chriſts ſake, as indéede the trueth ſtandeth in the ſight of Chriſte.