248

THE DECLINE AND FALL

chap, tyrant, who had violated every law of natureand society. The humble Christians were sentinto the world as sheep among wolves; andsince they were not permitted to employ force,even in the defence of their religion, they shouldbe still more criminal if they were tempted toshed the blood of their fellow-creatures, in dis-puting the vain privileges, or the sordid posses-sions, of this transitory life. Faithful to thedoctrine of the apostle, who in the reign of Nero had preached the duty of unconditional submis-sion, the Christians of the three first centuriespreserved their conscience pure and innocent ofthe guilt of secret conspiracy, or open rebellion.While they experienced the rigour of persecu-tion, they were never provoked either to meettheir tyrants in the field, or indignantly to with-draw themselves into some remote and seques-tered corner of the globe,* The protestants ofFrance, of Germany, and of Britain , who as-serted with such intrepid courage their civil andreligious freedom, have been insulted by the in-vidious comparison between the conduct of theprimitive and of the reformed Christians . 1 Per-haps, instead of censure, some applause maybe due to the superior sense and spirit of our

" Tertullian . Apolog. c. 32, 34, 35, 36. Tamen nunquam Albiniani,nec Nigriani vel Cassiani invenivi potnenmt christiani. Ad Scapulam,c. 2. If this assertion be strictly true, it excludes the Christians ofthat age from all civil and military employments, which would havecompelled them to take an active part in-the service of their respec-tive governors. See Moyle’s Works, vol. ii, p. 319.

* See the artful Bossuct (Hist, des Variations des EglUes Protes-tantes, tom. iii, p. 210-258), and the malicious Bayle (tom. ii, p. 620).I flame Bayle, for he was certainly the author of the Avis aux RefugUV.jconsult the Uictionnaire Critique de Chauffppi£, tom. i, part ii, p. 115.