if compared with the common societies of men, were amongst them as lights in the world." "It is with your party," says Minutius Felix,*" that the prison is filled, no christian is there, unless such a one as is either a shame to his religion, or an apostate from it."

REFLECTION.

Can any christian peruse this character of a primitive brother without improvement ? Can any christian contemplate the high degree of purity which he attained, and the glorious faith which laid this bright foundation, without a deep confession of a conscious inferiority? In a christian country, we call ourselves christians, as we designate ourselves in the possession of any rank, dignity, or description of life; but do we exhibit in our own persons a striking picture of our primitive model? Alas!Let us then dwell, for one moment, on the remark of Tertullian,† "When men depart from the discipline of the gospel, they so far cease amongst us to be accounted christians."

CHAPTER V.

Of the positive Parts of their Religion;—and first, of their Piety towards God.

HAVING thus seen with how much clearness the an

* P. 29.

† Apol. c. xlvi. p. 36.

cient christians vindicated themselves from those unjust aspersions which their malicious adversaries had cast upon them, we proceed to take a more direct and positive view of their religion, which, according to St. Paul's division, we shall first consider as to their piety towards God; those virtues which more immediately concerned themselves, and those which respected their behaviour and carriage towards others. Their piety towards God appeared in those two chief instances of it-a serious and hearty detestation of idolatry, and a religious care about the concerns of divine worship.

Idolatry, in those times, was the prevailing sin of the world, the principal crime of mankind, the great guilt of the age, and the almost sole cause of men's being brought into judgement; as what, in a manner, as Tertullian expresses it,* contains all sins under it. It is necessary to enquire, first, what was the notion they entertained of idolatry. They then accounted a man guilty of idolatry, who gave divine adoration to any thing that was not God; not only when he worshipped a material idol, but when he vested any creature with that religious respect and veneration that was due only to God. It might have been supposed that angels, who bear the first rank of created beings, might have challenged this distinction but Origen says, "we indeed speak well of them, and think them happy that they are intrusted by God to manage the conveniences of man's life;

but yet do not give them that honour that is due only to God:" and again, "the great God only is to be adored, and prayers to be delivered up to none but his only begotten Son, the first-born of every creature, that, as our High Priest, he may carry them to his Father and our Father,-to his God and our God. It is true the worship of angels did (and that very early, as appears from the apostle's caveat against it, in his epistle to the Colossians,) creep into some parts of the christian church, but was always disowned, objected against, and at last publicly and solemnly condemned, by the whole Laodicean council."-Canon 35.

Nor were they more decided in denying divine honours to angels, than they were to martyrs and departed saints; for though they entertained great honour and respect for martyrs, as for those who had maintained the truth of their religion, and sealed it with their blood, yet were they far from doing so under any impression of religion, or divine adoration. The church of Smyrna, writing to the churches of Pontus with an account of the martyrdom of Polycarp their bishop, tells them* "that after he was dead, many of the christians were desirous to possess the remains of his body, to have given them decent and honourable burial, but were prevented by some Jews, who importuned the Pro-consul to the contrary; suggesting that the christians, leaving their crucified master, night henceforth worship Polycarp. This

Eus. Hist. Eccl. lib. iv. c. 10..

they did," say they, "not considering how impossible it is that ever we should either forsake Christ, who died for the salvation of mankind, or that we should worship any other. We adore him as the Son of God; but the martyrs, as disciples and followers of our Lord, we deservedly love for their eminent kindness to their own prince and master; whose companions and fellow disciples we also, by all means, desire to be." This was the testimony, not of any one private person, but of the whole church of Smyrna, as it had been trained up under the doctrine and discipline of Polycarp, the immediate disciple of St. John.

But the great instance in which the primitive christians manifested their detestation of idolatry was, with respect to the idolatrous worship of the heathen world, the denying and abhorring any thing of divine honour that was done to their gods. "No art, no profession, no service whatsoever, that is employed either in making or ministering to idols,” says Tertullian,* "can come short of idolatry." If a christian (in a public character) did but allow the charges of sports and sights, though he did not sacrifice, he was to undergo a severe penance for it all his life. Every master of a family was commanded to suffer no little idols, or images, to be kept in his house, and to be worshipped by his children and

servants.

The heathens accused the christians as idolaters, as worshipping the sun, the cross, and an ass's head. "The first," Tertulliant says, "was an entire misApol, c. xvi. p. 16.

Cap. ii,

+ Canon iii.

66

as

take; they prayed to the east, or sun-rising, which the heathens did, but upon different grounds; and also worshipped on the Sunday, which the heathens considered as worshipping the sun." With respect to the cross, Octavius in Minutius Felix says, for crosses, we neither desire nor worship them. Christians, indeed, talk much of their crucified master, and are in the constant use of the sign of the cross, but never paid any adoration whatever to a material cross." The charge respecting the ass's head is too absurd for further observation.

Thus the ancient christians manifested and maintained their love and piety towards God, by a most vigorous and hearty opposition of that idolatry that reigned so uncontrollably in the heathen world.

REFLECTION.

This chapter bears strongly upon some practices of the Roman Catholic church, which, as consistent protestants, we must unequivocally condemn. The usage of the primitive church is decidedly inimical to the superstitious customs, which that church maintains. I do not enter into controversy; and therefore only call our attention to the subject. But protestants though we be, we may still be guilty of idolatry. When we bow down before vanity, whatever may be its title, we commit idolatry. Whether riches, or power, or beauty, or fortune, or fashion, or any other thing which enchains or seduces the mind, so as to occasion its deviations from the worship of the true God, and JESUS CHRIST whom he hath