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CHAP.
VI.

Eccl.His

A

CHAPTER VI.

The Subject continued.

CCORDING to Mosheim and others, Constantine professed to be converted to the Christian faith, about the year 313, while on his march toward tory, vol. Rome, to decide by a bloody battle with Maxentius, i. p. 312. which of them should be the greatest. And having defeated his antagonist, he was instated on the imperial throne; soon after which, he repealed those laws which had been enacted against the Christians.

Heb. xiii. 8.

Johnxviü

36.

2. But in all this, what evidence appears to prove that it was the true faith of the Son of God that he embraced? His followers say, that he saw the appearance of a Cross in the heavens, and that Christ appeared to him in a dream, with the same cross in his hand, with this inscription on it: (Hac vince) By this conquer.

3. But why did not Christ come to him with a sword in his hand, and tell him to conquer by that? Was it by the cross, or by the sword that he conquered? If by the sword, then he mistook the vision altogether.

4. But it seems he made a sign of that visionary cross, and set it up as a standard to fight under; and herein he manifested the very spirit of his Catholic christianity, by establishing an outward sign or appearance of Christ, under which he could act in direct opposition to the nature and spirit of the Lamb of God.

5. The fact is, if Christ Jesus appeared to Constantine, and gave him authority to draw the sword, and force his way to the throne, through scenes of blood and carnage ;-if he commissioned him to repeal civil laws and statutes-to pull down temples and build them again-to banish heretics, promote proud bishops, and so on, he must first have repealed all the laws he ever gave his disciples, and contradicted all that he ever taught.

6. But if Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever—if his kingdom is not of this world-if his servants will not fight-if they are poor in spirit,

I P. III.

ROMAN EMPERORS.

VI.

meek, merciful, peace-makers-and if the fruits of CHAP.
his spirit are love, joy, peace, and such like; then it
of Matt. V.
follows, that it was neither Christ Jesus, nor any
his followers, that repealed or contradicted his doc- 2, 9.
trines, but cunning deceivers who crept in unawares.

7. If there was any truth in the story of Constantine's seeing a vision, it was not Christ that appeared to him, to encourage him to the battle; but the father of deception transformed into an angel of light.

8. It is readily granted, that Constantine effected a great revolution, by incorporating together the civil and ecclesiastical powers under the name of Christ; for which his followers exalt him above all that had been called God: yet they are greatly mistaken, when they suppose that his motley empire exceeded in temporal glory, the kingdom of Solomon.* The fact is, ch. ix. it fell unspeakably short: then with how much less propriety must it bear any comparison to the spiritual kingdom of the Prince of Peace!

*2Chron.

9. Instead of being greater than Solomon, this great head of the orthodox Churches must, in fact, appear less than the least in the kingdom of heaven; that is, such a one as in no case can enter into it,† †See Mat as is most strikingly evident from the following concession.

v. 19, 20.

tory, vol.

10. "It must indeed be confessed, (says Mosheim,) Eccl. His that the life and actions of this prince, were not i. p. 313, 'such as the Christian religion demands from those 314., who profess to believe its sublime doctrines. It is also certain, that from his conversion to the last period of his life, he continued in the state of a cate'chumen, and was not received by baptism into the number of the faithful, until a few days before his death, when that sacred rite was administered to him at Nicomedia, by Eusebius, bishop of that place."

11. "For it was a custom with many, in this century, to put off their baptism to the last hour, that thus immediately after receiving by this rite the remission of their sins, they might ascend pure and 'spotless to the mansions of life and immortality."

12. So far the principles and practices of this Catholic emperor are simply stated; the next thing then is to garnish over the whited sepulchre, and prove

VI.

CHAP. him a sincere Christian. And to effect this, his wicked life and actions are covered up in such false and unscriptural reasoning as the following.

Im.xxx.i.

13. "Nor are the crimes of Constantine any proof of the insincerity of his profession, since nothing 'is more evident, though it be strange and unac'countable, than that many who believe, in the firm'est manner, the truth and divinity of the gospel, 'yet violate its laws by repeated transgressions, and • live in contradiction to their own inward principles."

14. Was there ever a plainer mark of an Antichrist? Who can be more justly entitled to that char acter than a man, who believes the truth and divinity of the gospel, and yet lives in contradiction to his own inward principles? And because, under the doctrines of Christ, this had become common, therefore, it must be used as an apology for Constantine's wickedness! "Wo to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin.”

15. If it were granted that christianity came to Constantine, through the mongrel bishops, in such a dress, and that neither he, nor his civil officers, ever heard the true gospel from a living man of God, (which was most likely the case,) this might be some excuse for his professing to be a Christian, while his practice was directly contrary to his profession.

16. But even admitting that his principles were formed, in any sense, according to the doctrine of Christ; yet if he lived in contradiction to his principles, it must have constituted him an Antichrist; that is, having Christ in principle, and living against him in practice.

17. They that have not Christ in some sense or other, cannot crucify him. But apprehending him by faith, and living a life contrary to his life, is both crucifying him afresh, and putting him to an open shame.This is a deceiver and an Antichrist; and this is the most prominent character of the GREAT CONSTANTINE, even as exhibited by his friends and followers.

18. It probably was the inward principles of this

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great man to live in peace, but this he found impossi- CHAP, ble at the head of an avaricious, contentious, and aspiring priesthood. He found it impossible to serve two masters, and therefore, when he set himself to honour and promote the bishops, he must of course, at the same time, set himself to dishonour the name of Jesus, and put away the true spirit of the gospel.

19. Hence all his mighty works, which he wrought under the influence of these sanctimonious deceivers, are such as will be eternally disclaimed by every follower of the meek and lowly Saviour. Even while the corrupters of the gospel were exulting in the great advancement of their church, established under Christian Presidents, Christian Magistrates, and Christian Officers of every rank, there were many souls who viewed this event as a horrible prelude to the total overthrow of the pure doctrine and manners of the apostolic church.

20. Nor did those catholic betrayers of the rights of conscience long enjoy their ill-founded confidence of universal empire: for a house divided against it- Matt.sñ. self cannot stand. It was but a little while before the chief promoters of the Catholic cause were up in arms against each other.

25.

317.

21. The joy, (says Mosheim,) with which the Ee. Hist. Christians were elated, on account of the favourable voli. p. 'edicts of Constantine and Licinius, was soon interrupted by the war which broke out between these two princes." Here this great man-child, as they call him, enters the list with his own colleague, and in the year 314, by a pitched battle, they settle the point, which of them shall be the greatest.

22. Next, the character of Constantine must be ibid. built upon the ruins of that of Licinius, and even Ju- Note [b.] lian, whom they call the apostate, is quoted to prove that Licinius was an infamous tyrant, a profligate, abandoned to all sorts of wickedness. It is easy to see how much honour is reflected on the Catholic cause from this character of one of its principal pillars.

23. But if facts will demonstrate a character as clearly as words, then we may judge from the following whether Licinius, or Constantine was the most infamous tyrant. We find it stated by Mosheim, that, U

CHAP.
VI.

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"After several battles fought between them, Licinius was reduced to the necessity of throwing himself Ec. Hist. at the victor's feet, and imploring his clemency; 'which, however, he did not long enjoy; for he was 'strangled by the orders of Constantine, in the year

vol. i. p.

318.

+ See Mat.v. 44

'325."

24. Much has been said about David's murdering Uriah, that he might enjoy his wife; David only had Uriah placed in the front of the battle, yet it is called murder; then what shall be said of the conduct of Constantine toward his former colleague, and now humble suppliant Licinius, in ordering him to be strangled? Truly it may be said that, Cain like, he slew his brother.

25. Was this breaking one of the least, or one of the greatest commandments? I came not (says Christ,) to destroy the law, neither to destroy men's livesThou shalt not kill. It may be said Licinius was an enemy. But where did Christ say thou shalt kill thine enemies, and slay them that despitefully use you?†

26. Here then is so manifest a difference between Christ, and the Roman Emperor, that the one came to save men's lives, and the other to destroy even the humble suppliant, who cast himself at his feet im

According to Lardner, it appears that Licinius (to whom Constantine, in the time of their friendship, had given his sister Constantia in mariage) was put to death at Thessalonica, after Constantine had reduced him to a private condition, and promised him his life. Lardner observes that, "Many ancient writers charge Constantine with a breach of faith in this matter." Nor is this the only erime of the kid alleged against Constantine. He had already dispatched his father in law, Maxinun, whose son Migaentius, he was at war with, at the time of his pretended conversion. After this, (in 314, or 315,) he put to death Bassianus, to whom he had married his sister Anastasia. In the year 326, he put to death his son Crispus, and his nephew Licinianus, or Licinius the younger : the former about twenty-five years of age, and the latter about eleven. Next comes Fausta his wife, the daughter of Maamian, who was put to death not long after the two last. After giving an account of these three last, Lardner adds, "These are the executions, which above all others, cast a reflection upon the reign of Constantine; though there are also hints of the death of some others about the same time, with whom Constantine had till then lived in friendship,” See Lardner's Works, Vol. IV. p. 172-176.

The causes which excited Constantine to put to death so many of his relations, appear to be veiled in obscurity; and perhaps de signedly so, in order to conceal from the world crimes which the friends of Constantine could not justify, and dare not condemn. From the hints given by various writers, Laroner thinks it likely that the death of Licinius and his son, was brought about by Constantine in order to secure the empire in his own family and that the death of Crispus was probably occasioned by the instigations of his step-mother Fusta; who, for the same reasons that Constantine was desirous to secure the empire in his own family, was concerned to secur it to his issue by her, in preference to Crispus, who was his son by a former wife. Among the causes to which Fausta's death is attributed, the account given by Zosimus seems not unlikely: viz." Helen, the mother of Constantine, being extremely grieved at the death of Crispus, excited Constantine to revenge it on Fausta, the adviser of it." It is asseited, by the same author, that he sent and had her suffocated in a bath.

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