THE DECLINE AND FALL

254

CHAP.

XX.

Expecta-tion andbelief of amiracle.

The regular correspondence which connectedthe bishops of the most distant provinces, en-abled them freely to communicate their wishesand their designs, and to transmit without dan-ger any useful intelligence, or any pious con-tributions, which might promote the service ofConstantine , who publicly declared that hehad taken up arms for the deliverance of thechurch. 1 *

The enthusiasm which inspired the troops,and perhaps the emperor himself, had sharpen-ed their swords while it satisfied their con-science. They marched to battle with the fullassurance, that the same god, who had former-ly opened a passage to the Israelites throughthe waters of Jordan, and had thrown downthe walls of Jericho at the sound of the trum-pets of Joshua, would display his visible ma-jesty and power in the victory of Constantine .The evidence of ecclesiastical history is pre-pared to affirm, that their expectations werejustified by the conspicuous miracle to whichthe conversion of the first Christian emperor hasbeen almost unanimously ascribed. The realor imaginary cause of so important an eventdeserves and demands the attention of posteri-ty ; and I shall endeavour to form a just esti-mate of the famous vision of Constantine , by a

d Eusebius always considers the second civil war against Licinius asa sort of religious crusade. At the invitation of the tyrant, some Chris-tian officers had resumed their zones; or, in other words, had returnedto the military service. Their conduct was afterwards censured bythe 12th canon of the council of Nice; if this particular applicationmay be received, instead of the loose and general sense of the Oreelsinterpreters, Balsaraon, Zonaras , and Alexis Aristenus. See Beveridge,Pandect. Ecclcs. Grajc. tom. i, p. 72; tom. ii, p. 78. Annotation.