nor the danger less of admitting the pestilent spirit of human self-sufficiency to dictate in the Christian religion. CHAP. V. THE STATE OF THE CHURCH DURING THE REIGNS OF Ir seemed proper to prefix to the general history of the third century, the lives of the four persons, which we have reviewed; partly because they were studious men not very much connected with the public state of Christianity; and partly because the knowledge of their views and taste in religion may prepare the reader to expect that unhappy mixture of philosophical self-righteousness and superstition, which much clouded and depraved the pure light of the Gospel in this century. The 5th Christians. Severus, though in his younger days a bitter persecutor of Christians at Lyons,* was yet, through the influence of the kindness which he had received from Proculus,† favourably disposed toward the Christians tion of the for a considerable time. It was not till about the By Severus tenth year of his reign, which falls in with the A.D. 202. year two hundred and two, that his native ferocity of temper brake out afresh, and kindled a very severe persecution against the Christians. He was just returned from the East victorious; and the pride of prosperity induced him to forbid the propagation of the Gospel. Christians still thought it right to obey God rather than man. Severus persisted; and exercised the usual cruelties. The persecution raged every where; but particularly at Alexandria. From various parts of Egypt the Christians were brought thither to suffer; and they expired in torments. Leonidas, father of the famous Origen, was beheaded; so easy a death, however was esteemed a favour. His son was then very young; but the account which is given of him by Eusebius, deserves our notice. Lætus was at that time governor of Alexandria and of the rest of Egypt; and Demetrius had been recently [See Note at p. 234.] [Tertull. ad Scap. c. 4.] § Euseb. b. vi. c. 1 and 2. gave elected bishop of the Christians in that city. Great numbers now suffering martyrdom, young Origen Account of panted for the honour, and needlessly exposed Origen. himself to danger. His mother checked the imprudent zeal at first by earnest entreaties, but perceiving that he still was bent on suffering with his father, who at that time was closely confined, she very properly exercised her motherly authority by confining him to the house, and by hiding from him all his apparel. The vehement spirit of Origen prompted him, when he could do nothing else, to write a letter to his father, in which he thus exhorted him, ["Take heed that you do not change your mind on our account."] He had been carefully trained in the study of the Scriptures under the inspection of his pious father, who, together with the study of the liberal arts, had particularly superintended this most important part of education. Before he introduced his son to any material exercises in profane learning, he instructed him in the Scriptures, and him daily a certain task out of them to repeat. The penetrating genius of Origen led him, in the course of his employment, to investigate the sense of Scripture, and to ask his father questions beyond his ability to solve. The father checked his curiosity, reminded him of his imbecility, and admonished him to be content with the plain grammatical sense of Scripture, which obviously offered itself;— but inwardly rejoiced, it seems, that God had given him such a son. And it would not have been amiss, if he had rejoiced WITH TREMBLING ;-perhaps he did so; and Origen's early loss of such a father, who probably, was more simple in Christian faith and piety than he himself ever was, might be an extreme disadvantage to him. Youths of great and uncommon parts, accompanied, as is generally the case, with much ambition and boundless curiosity, have often been the instruments of Satan in perverting divine truth : and it is not so much attended to as it ought to be by many truly pious and humble souls, that the superior eminence, in parts and good sense, of young persons whom they love and respect, is by no means a prognostic of the like superiority in real spiritual knowledge and the discernment of divine things. Men of genius, if they meet with encouragement, will be sure to distinguish themselves in whatever line of life they move. But men of genius and even of very remarkable endowments, though sincere in Christianity, may, not only in the practice, but even in the perception of Gospel-truths, be far out-stripped by others who are naturally much their inferiors; because the latter are by no means so exposed to the crafts of Satan, are not so liable in their judgments to be warped from Christian simplicity, are more apt to look for understanding from above, and are less disposed to lean to an arm of flesh. We seem to discover, in the very beginning of Origen, the foundation of that presumptuous spirit which led him afterwards to philosophize so dangerously in the Christian religion, and never to content himself with plain truth, but to hunt after something singular and extraordinary ;though it must be acknowledged his sincere desire of serving God appeared from early life; nor does it ever seem to have forsaken him; so that he may be considered as having been a child of God from early years. His father dying a martyr, he was left, with his mother and other six children, an orphan aged seventeen years. His father's substance was confiscated by the emperor, and the family reduced to great distress. But providence gave him a friend in a rich and godly matron, who yet supported in her house a certain person of Antioch, that was noted for heresy. We cannot at this distance of time assign her motives; but Origen, though obliged to be in the company of the heretic, could not be prevailed on to join in prayer with him. He now vigorously applied himself to the improvement of his understanding; and having no more work at school, it seems, because he soon acquired all the learning his master could give him, and finding that the business of catechising was deserted at Alexandria because of the persecution, he undertook the work himself; and several Gentiles came to hear him and became his disciples. He was now in the eighteenth year of his age; and in the heat of the persecution he distinguished himself by his attachment to the martyrs, not only to those of his acquaintance, but in general to all who suffered for Christianity. He visited such of them as were fettered in deep dungeons and close imprisonment; and was present with them even [Euseb. vi, c. 3.] after their condemnation, and boldly attended them to the place of execution: he openly embraced and saluted them ; and was once in imminent danger of being stoned to death on this account. Indeed he was repeatedly in peril of his life; for the persecution daily prevailed; and he could no longer pass safely through the streets of Alexandria. He often changed his lodgings, but was every where pursued ; and, humanly speaking, it seemed impossible for him to escape. His instructions, however, and his zeal, produced great effects; multitudes crowded to hear him; and were by his labours incited to attend to Christianity. The charge of the school was now, by Demetrius the bishop, committed to him alone; and he converted it wholly into a school of religious information: He maintained himself by the sale of the profane books which he had been wont to study. Thus he lived many years, an amazing monument, at once both of industry and of self-denial. Not only the day, but the greater part of the night, was by him devoted to religious study; and he practised, with literal conscientiousness, our Lord's rules, of not having two coats, nor two pairs of shoes, and of not providing for futurity. He was inured to cold, nakedness, and poverty: He offended many by his unwillingness to receive their gratuities: He abstained from wine; and, in general, lived so abstemiously as to endanger his life. Many persons imitated his excessive austerities and were, at that time, honoured with the name of philosophers; and some of them patiently suffered martyrdom. I state facts as I find them. A strong spirit of selfrighteousness, meeting with a secret ambition, too subtile to be perceived by him who is the dupe of it, and supported by a natural fortitude of mind, and by the active exertion of great talents, hath enabled many in external things to seem superior in piety to men of real humility and selfdiffidence, who penetrating more happily into the genius of the Gospel, by the exercise of faith in the Son of God, and that genuine charity which is its fruit, are led into a course of conduct less dazzling indeed, but much more agreeable to the Gospel. One cannot form a high idea of the solid judgment of these Alexandrian converts. Were there none of the elder and more experienced Christians in that city, who were capable, with meekness of wisdom, of cor recting the exuberances of this zealous youth, and of showing him that, by such a refusal of the comforts of life, he affected a superiority to Paul himself, who gratefully received the alms of the Philippians? Excesses of this sort must have been attended with great defects in inward vital godliness: The reader is again referred to the second chapter of the epistle to the Colossians, for a comment on the conduct of Origen. How much better had it been for him to have continued a scholar for some time longer; and not to have feasted the pride of the human heart by appointing him a teacher! But the lively flow of genius seems to have been mistaken for great growth in Christian knowledge and piety. One of his scholars, called Plutarch,* was led to martyrdom. Origen accompanied him to the place of execution. The odium of the scholar's sufferings reflected on Martyrdom. the master; and it was not without a peculiar providence that he escaped the vengeance of the citizens. After him Serenus suffered by fire the third martyr was Heraclides; the fourth Heron. The former had not yet been baptized, being only what was called a Catechumen the latter had been lately baptized; but both were beheaded. A second Serenus of the same school, having sustained great torment and much pain, was beheaded. A woman also, called Rais, as yet a Catechumen, suffered death. Potamiana, a young woman remarkable for beauty, purity of mind, and firmness in the faith of Christ, suffered very dreadful torments: She was scourged very severely by the order of Aquila the judge, who threatened to deliver her to be abused by the basest characters. But she remained firm in the faith was led to the fire, and burned together with her mother Marcella. The heart of Basilides, a soldier, who presided at her execution, was softened. He pitied her, treated her courteously, and protected her, so far as he durst, from the insolence of the mob. She acknowledged his kindness, thanked him, and promised that after her departure she would entreat the Lord for him. Scalding pitch was poured on her whole body, which she sustained in much patience. Sometime after, Basilides, being required by his fellow-soldiers to swear profanely on a certain occasion, he refused, and confessed himself a |