Lessons on Early Church History; From the Conclusion of the Acts of the Apostles to the Establishment of Christianity Under Constantine (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1879. Excerpt: ... "I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God." READ carefully the passage where these words are found (Rev. vi. 10, n). A reference to Lev. iv. 7 will enable you to understand it better. The "souls" mean the "life" or the "blood" of the martyrs, which, like that of the sacrifices, flows clown underneath the altar, and thence cries aloud for vengeance, as did the blood of Abel. It seems to be intimated that there are a great company of martyrs, who are bidden to rest in joyful hope and expectation, until, after an interval, clearly indicated, they shall be joined by another mighty host, who shall make the noble army complete--"Until their fellow-servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." We now propose to speak of the last great outburst of the persecuting fury of Pagan Rome, which was also by far the fiercest and most terrible. It is true there were martyrs afterwards, like Gordianus (Lesson XVIII.), but they were comparatively few, only like the last drops of a thunder shower. In whose reign did Cyprian and Sixtus suffer death? When Valerian died, his colleague Gallienus became sole emperor, and he not only put a stop to the persecution but placed Christianity amongst the lawful religions of the empire (a.d. 261). This was better than any partial or personal favour he could have shown the Christians, for it gave them a legal standing, and a degree of security they had never enjoyed before. It was soon felt sensibly in all parts of the empire, and a period of outward prosperity followed hitherto unexampled. The Church increased rapidly in numbers, in wealth, in consideration. Large and handsome buildings consecrated to the worship of Christ arose in all the great cities, and w...