FOX'S BOOK OF MARTYRS. BOOK I. HISTORY OF THE FIRST TEN PERSECUTIONS OF THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH, FROM THE YEAr of our lord 67, TILL THE TIME OF CONSTANTINE THE GREAT; DETAILING THE LIVES AND ACTIONS OF THE PRIN CIPAL CHRISTIAN MARTYRS OF BOTH SEXES, IN EUROPE AND IN AFRICA. THE dreadful martyrdoms which we are now about to describe, arose from the persecutions of the Romans against the Christians, in the primitive ages of the church, during the space of three hundred years, or till the time of Constantine. It is both wonderful and horrible, to peruse the descriptions of the sufferings of these godly martyrs, as they are described by the ancient historians. Their torments were as various as the ingenuity of man, urged on by the malicious influence of Satan, could devise; and their numbers were truly incredible. The first martyr to our holy religion was its blessed Founder himself. His history is sufficiently known, as it has been handed down to us in the New Testament; nevertheless, it will be proper here to give an outline of his sufferings, and more particularly as they will be followed by those of the apostles and evangelists. The persecutions by the emperors took place long after the death of our Saviour. Brief History of our Saviour. It is known that in the reign of Herod, the angel Gabriel was sent by divine command to the Virgin Mary. This maiden was betrothed to a carpenter named Joseph, who resided at Nazareth, a city of Galilee. The angel informed Mary how highly she was favoured of God, and that she should conceive a son by the Holy Spirit, which happened accordingly: for travelling to Bethlehem, to pay the capitation-tax then levied, the town was so crowded that they could only get lodgings in a stable, where Mary gave birth to our Blessed Redeemer, which was announced to the world by a star and an angel; the wise men of the east saw the former, and the shepherds the latter. After Jesus had been circumcised, he was presented in the temple by his mother; upon which occasion Simeon exclaimed in the cele brated words recorded by Luke: "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word, for pine eyes have seen thy salvation." Luke ii. 29, 30. Jesus, in his youth, disputed with the most learned doctors in the temple, and soon after was baptized by John in the river Jordan, when the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove, and a voice was heard audibly to pronounce these words: “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." After this Christ fasted forty days and nights in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil, but resisted all his allurements. He performed his first miracle at Cana, in Galilee; he likewise conversed with the good Samaritan, and restored to life a nobleman's dead child. While travelling through Galilee, he restored the blind to sight, and cured the lame, the lepers, &c. Among other benevolent actions, he cured, at the pool of Bethesda, a paralytic man, who had been lame thirty-eight years, bidding him take up his bed and walk; and he afterwards cured a man whose right hand was shrunk up and withered; with many acts of a similar nature. When he had chosen his twelve apostles, he preached the celebrated sermon upon the mount; after which he performed several miraeles, particularly the feeding of the multitude, and the walking on the surface of the sea. On the celebration of the passover, Jesus supped with his disciples he informed them that one of them would betray him and another deny him, and preached his farewell sermon. A multitude of armed men soon afterwards surrounded him, and Judas kissed him, in order to point him out to the soldiers, who were not acquainted with his person. In the contention occasioned by the apprehension of Jesus, Peter cut off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest, for which Jesus reproved him, and by touching the wound, healed it. Peter and John followed Jesus to the house of Annas, who, refusing to judge him, sent him bound to Caiaphas, where Peter denied Christ, as the latter had predicted; but on Christ reminding him of his perfidy, Peter went out and wept bitterly. When the council had assembled in the morning, the Jews mocked Jesus, and the elders suborned false witnesses against him; the principal accusation being, that he had said, "I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands." Caiaphas then asked him if he was the Christ, the son of God, or not; being answered in the affirmative, he was accused of blasphemy, and condemned to death by Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, who, though conscious of his innocence, yielded to the solicitations of the Jews, and condemned him to be crucified. His remarkable expression at the time of passing sentence, proved how much he was convinced that the Lord was persecuted. Previous to the crucifixion, the Jews, by way of derision, clothed Christ in a regal robe, put a crown of thorns upon his head, and a reed, for a sceptre, in his hand; they then mocked him with ironical compliments, spit in his face, slapped his cheek, and taking the reed out of his hand, they struck him with it upon the head. Pilate would fain have released him, but the general cry was, Crucify him, crucify him; which occasioned the governor to call for a basin of water, and having washed his hands, he declared himself innocent of the blood of Christ, whom he termed a just person. But the Jews said, Let his blood be upon us, and our children; and the governor found himself obliged to comply with their wishes, which wish has manifestly taken place, as they have never since been a collected people. While leading Christ to the place of crucifixion, they obliged him to bear the cross, which being afterwards unable to sustain, they compelled one Simon, a native of Cyrenia, to carry it the rest of the way. Mount Calvary was fixed on for the place of execution, where, having arrived, the soldiers offered him a mixture of gall and vinegar to drink, which he refused. Having stripped him, they nailed him to the cross, and crucified him between two malefactors. After being fastened to the cross, he uttered this benevolent prayer for his enemies: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." The soldiers who crucified him, being four in number, now cut his mantle to pieces, and divided it between them; but his coat being without a seam, they cast lots for it. Whilst Christ remained in the agonies of death, the Jews mocked him, and said, "If thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross." The chief priests and scribes also reviled him, and said, "He saved others, but cannot save himself." One of the criminals who was crucified with him, also cried out, and said, "If you are the Messiah, save yourself and us" but the other malefactor, having great faith, exclaimed, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." To which Christ replied, "This day shalt thou be with me in paradise." . When Christ was upon the cross, the earth was covered with darkness, and the stars appeared at noon-day, which struck the people, and even the Jews, with terror. In the midst of his tortures, Christ cried out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" and then expressed a desire to drink; when one of the soldiers gave him, upon the point of a reed, a sponge dipped in vinegar, which, however, he refused. About three o'clock in the afternoon he gave up the ghost, and at that time a violent earthquake happened, when the rocks were rent, the mountains trembled, and the dead were thrown up from their graves. These signal prodigies attended the death of Christ, and such was the mortal end of the Redeemer of mankind. THE LIVES, SUFFERINGS, AND MARTYRDOM OF THE APOSTLES, Who was the first in the "noble company of martyrs," was elected, with six others, as a deacon out of the Lord's seventy disciples. He was an able and successful preacher. The principal persons belonging to five Jewish synagogues entered into many altercations with him; but he, by the soundness of his doctrine, and the strength of his arguments, overcame them all, which so much irritated them, that they bribed false witnesses to accuse him of blaspheming God and Moses. On being carried before the council, he made a noble defence: but that so much exasperated his judges, that they resolved to condemn him. At this instant, Stephen saw a vision from heaven, which represented Jesus, in his glorified state, sitting at the right hand of God. This vision so greatly rejoiced him, that he exclaimed, in raptures, "Behold, I see the heavens open, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God." This caused him to be condemned, and, having dragged him out of the city, they stoned him to death. On the spot where he was martyred, Eudocia, the empress of the Emperor Theodosius, erected a superb church. The death of Stephen was succeeded by a severe persecution in Jerusalem, in which 2000 Christians, with Nicanor the deacon, were martyred, and many others obliged to leave that country. II. James the Great, Was a Galilean, and the son of Zebedee, a fisherman, the elder brother of John, and a relation to Christ himself; for his mother Salome was cousin-german to the Virgin Mary. Being one day with his father fishing in the sea of Galilee, he and his brother John were called by our Saviour to become his disciples. They cheerfully obeyed the mandate, and leaving their father, followed Jesus. It is to be observed, that Christ placed a greater confidence in them than in any other of the apostles, Peter excepted. Christ called these brothers Boanerges, or the Sons of Thunder, on account of their vigorous minds, and impetuous tempers. When Herod Agrippa was made governor of Judea, by the Emperor Caligula, he raised a persecution against the Christians, and particularly singled out James as an object of his vengeance. This martyr, on being condemned to death, showed such an intrepidity of spirit, and constancy of mind, that even his accuser was struck with admiration, and became a convert to Christianity. This transition so enraged the people in power, that they condemned him likewise to death; when James the apostle and his penitent accuser were both beheaded on the same day, and with the same sword. These events took place in the year of Christ 44. About the same period, Timon and Parienas, two of the seven deacons, suffered martyrdom, the former at Corinth, and the latter at Philippi, in Macedonia. III. Philip, The apostle and martyr, was born at Bethsaida, in Galilee, and was the first called by the name of Disciple. He was employed in several important commissions by Christ, and being deputed to preach in Upper Asia, laboured very diligently in his apostleship. He then travelled into Phrygia, and arriving at Heliopolis, found the inhabitants so sunk in idolatry as to worship a large serpent. Philip, however, converted many of them to Christianity, and even procured the death of the serpent. This so enraged the magistrates, that they committed him to prison, had him severely scourged, and afterwards crucified. His friend, Bartholomew, found an opportunity of taking down the body and burying it; for which, however, he was very near suffering the same fate. His martyrdom happened eight years after that of James the Great, A. D. 52. IV. Matthew, The evangelist, apostle, and martyr, was born at Nazareth, in Galifee, but resided chiefly at Capernaum, on account of his business, which was that of a toll-gatherer, to collect tribute of such as had oc casion to pass the sea of Galilee. On being called as a disciple, he immediately complied, and left every thing to follow Christ. After the ascension of his master, he continued preaching the gospel in Judea about nine years. Intending to leave Judea, in order to go and preach among the Gentiles, he wrote his gospel in Hebrew, for the use of his Jewish converts; but it was afterwards translated into Greek by James the Less. He then went to Ethiopia, ordained preachers, settled churches, and made many converts. He after"wards proceeded to Parthia, where he had the same success; but returning to Ethiopia, he was slain by a halberd, in the city of Nadabar, about the year of Christ 60. V. Mark, The evangelist and martyr, was born of Jewish parents, of the tribe of Levi. It is imagined, that he was converted to Christianity by Peter, whom he served as an amanuensis, and whom he attended in all his travels. Being entreated by the converts at Rome, to commit to writing the admirable discourses they had heard from Peter and himself, he complied with this request, and composed his gospel accordingly in the Greek language. He then went to Egypt, and afterwards proceeded to Lybia, where he made many converts. On returning to Alexandria, some of the Egyptians, exasperated at his success, determined on his death. They therefore tied his feet, dragged him through the streets, left him bruised in a dungeon all night, and the next day burned his body. VI. James the Less, The apostle and martyr, was called so, to distinguish him from James the Great. He was the son, by a first wife, of Joseph, the reputed father of Christ: he was, after the Lord's ascensión, elected to the oversight of the church of Jerusalem: he wrote his general epistles to all Christians and converts whatever, to suppress a dangerous error then propagating, viz. "That a faith in Christ was alone sufficient for salvation, without good works." The Jews, being at this time greatly enraged that Paul had escaped their fury, by appealing to Rome, determined to wreak their vengeance on James, who was now ninety-four years of age they accordingly threw him down, beat, bruised, and stoned him; and then dashed out his brains with a club, such as was used by fullers in dressing cloth. VII. Matthias, The apostle and martyr, was called to the apostleship after the death of Christ, to supply the vacant place of Judas who had betrayed his master, and was likewise one of the seventy disciples. He was martyred at Jerusalem, being first stoned and then beheaded. VIII. Andrew, The apostle and martyr, was the brother of Peter, and preached the gospel to many Asiatic nations. On arriving at Edessa, the governor of the country, named Egeas, threatened him for preaching against the idols there worshipped. Andrew persisting in the propagation of his doctrines, he was ordered to be crucified on a cross, two ends of which were transversely fixed in the ground. He boldly told his accusers, that he would not have preached the glory of the cross, had he |