the earth altered its form: but they neglected the God who had made them; they despised his commandments, they crucified the Lord of Glory, and, finally, in the due course of things, they effected their ruin.

History, which records the decline of empires and the ruin of cities, records no change in the face of nature, or in the moral administration of God's righteous laws. On those very spots where temples once stood which now stand no more, the sun, as it ever did, continues to diffuse his enlivening beams, the seas send forth their clouds, the mountains retain their springs, and the plants bear their accustomed fruit, and yield still their seed. If, then, the creation has remained the same,-if its sources and its instruments are exactly what once they were, wherefore should not the present race have every thing within their reach that their ancestors enjoyed? If regions, once inhabited, are now desolate; if powerful cities are reduced to solitude, it is not the Lord that has occasioned the ruin-it is not THE ARM OF GOD that has introduced the sword into the city, and set fire to the country, murdered the people, burnt the harvests, and ravaged the pastures: it is the arm of man. They are not His passions that, under a thousand forms, torment individuals and nations, but the passions of human beings. God is good; he is just, and will not be the author of our punishment, without a cause, and that cause must be, commonly, in ourselves. The caprice, of which man has to complain in the various evils that embitter his existence, is not, as has been justly observed, the caprice of destiny: the source of his calamities is not in the distant heavens, but near to him upon the earth; it is not concealed in the bosom of the Divinity; it resides in himself-man bears it in his heart; he commits sin; he disobeys his Redeemer, and he produces misery.

Since, then, it is from national crimes that national calamities flow, the only means which remain unto us of averting the divine wrath which they must necessarily incur, is, by exhibiting, from this day, the fruits of national repentance. National repentance is, indeed, but the aggregate of individual reformation; and, as the penitent sinner may, with confidence in God's word, lay claim to his mercy, as when by mourning and fasting he turns unto the Lord his God, he may expect that he will return unto him, and leave a blessing behind him, -so, with the same, or, perhaps, with greater reason, may the public humiliation of a community or people, expressed as on this day, be the means of averting the heavy judgments of God. It is not, indeed, to be supposed that the Lord can change as man doth, or that he can suffer that compunctious regret, which, while it moves our breast with pity, gives us, also, some degree of pain. The Almighty is too perfect for such a feeling. But sinful man, by becoming penitent, so alters the relation between himself and his Maker, that, from being obnoxious to God's wrath, he renders himself the subject of his beneficence; and so the Lord is said to have compassion on him.

By appointing this, then, as a day of public humiliation and sorrow, our legislators do all that uninspired mortality can do. It is for us to improve the opportunity they have so wisely and so kindly offered

us.

The solemnity of the occasion, the notorious vices of the age, the danger of the nation, which is not to be dissembled, all press forcibly upon us to amend our ways, and, severally, to turn unto the Lord our God. Let each of us, from this day, endeavour to lead a new life, and let not the awakening importance of the occasion pass from our minds with the day, like the morning cloud which disperseth, and is no more seen; but let this day be, as it is intended it should be, a day of humiliation, a day of godly sorrow, and of lasting amendment. Then may we, indeed, expect a blessing, instead of those heavy judgments which our manifold sins have, in the due order of things, most deservedly incurred. As this kingdom hath been ever foremost to teach nations the arts which civilize, under the blessings of freedom, so, under the influence of true religion, may she be conspicuous in instructing them in the virtues which, through Jesus Christ, will render them wise and happy. We, as a nation, have long been distinguished by the favours of heaven, and let us shew our grateful sense of the mercies showered upon us by the righteousness of our lives. 0! let us not forfeit, by our impieties, the distinguished place we have long enjoyed, and yet, under the mercies of Divine Providence, (blessed be God!), do enjoy, among the sons of men. Let us fear God, who hath so abundantly compassioned us, and not yet destroyed us in his wrath; and, as the Christian consequences of that fear, let us honour our King. Above all, let us cultivate towards our fellow-creatures, towards those, even, whom we suppose our worst enemies, that charity which is the very bond of peace and of all righteousness. Consider, mercy and brotherly kindness, in their various latitudes, are the distinguishing characteristics of our religion as Christians, in comparison with which, all our other duties are indeed trifling, and, if these be wanting, are but as sounding brass or tinkling cymbals. Without imputing, therefore, evil motives to any, which charity forbids us to do, it is sufficient for us to know that the crisis is, at once, important, awful, and alarming. If famine and pestilence; if commotions in divers places; if a fiery zeal, delighting to set all in flames; if apostates and false prophets gone out into the world to deceive others; if infidelity and wickedness in high places; if wandering stars, and angels of the churches not keeping their first estate; if a general falling away from the maxims of Christ, and, the original constitution of his kingdom on earth; if persecutions for the sake of truth and a good conscience; if the strong delusion of Satan and his instruments at this time, who would, alone, be thought to think freely; lastly, if the abounding of iniquity, the failing of faith, the despising of dominions, the speaking evil of dignities, the running greedily for reward into any error or wickedness whatsoever, and the scoffing at the promises of Christ, be conjointly considered any signs of some grand revolution in the world, greater than hath yet been, we must then all see it to be our duty to prepare for the worst, and to pursue the ways that will make for our peace.

Let us, then, earnestly prostrate ourselves at the throne of Almighty Goodness, praying for that happy time when civil distrust shall cease in the world, and when peace, the peace of the gospel of Jesus Christ, shall be secured by the diffusion of that virtue which shall have found

its perfection, and harmony be perpetuated by the influence of that Divine wisdom which shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the

sea.

And, now, to the ever blessed Trinity, three Persons and one God, be ascribed, as is most due, all honour, praise, might, majesty, and dominion, this day, and for evermore.

Amen.

S. W.

Of all the writings of the early Fathers, there are none more valuable, or more interesting, than the Apologies, which were written in defence of Christianity during the first three centuries of its progress. The few relics of this class, which are still extant, are not only remarkable for their manly tone, their powerful arguments, their sarcastic energy, and their honest zeal; but for the strong light which they throw upon the nature of the struggle in which the infant Church was engaged, and the expedients to which kings and philosophers resorted in order to stifle it in its cradle. To those of Quadratus, Justin, Athenagoras, and others, attention has already been directed; and for similar exertions in the cause of truth, the primitive Christians were indebted to Miltiades and Theophilus. The former-of whose writings, however, not a line has been preserved-flourished, according to Jerome (Vir. Ill. § 39.), under the emperor Commodus. Tertullian places him between Justin and Irenæus; and hence Tillemont concludes that he was born early in the second century, and died in the reign of Commodus. But his Apology was addressed to the rulers of the world, in defence of the philosophy which he followed;* i.e. of Christianity; and these rulers were, in all probability, Antoninus and his son Commodus. Some, indeed, have thought that the governors of the provinces are intended; but, though the expression might possibly bear this meaning, the form of the inscription seems to contrast the philosophy of the Apologists, with that in which the Antonines especially prided themselves. Cave and Lardner, therefore, seem to be correct in dating the work in the year 180.

Besides the Apology, Miltiades wrote two treatises against the Jews and the Gentiles respectively, which Eusebius describes as "monuments of his zeal for the divine oracles ;" and Jerome

* Euseb. Hist. Eccl. V. 17. πρὸς τοὺς κοσμικοὺς ἄρχοντας, ὑπὲρ ἧς μετήει φιλοσοφίας, πεποιηκέναι ἀπολογίαν.

† Ibid. τῆς ἰδίας περὶ τὰ θεῖα λόγια σπούδης μνήμας.

(Epist. ad Magn. 83.) speaks of them as evincing "his acquaintance with the literature of the age, and his knowledge of the Scriptures." In an anonymous fragment cited by Eusebius (Hist. Eccl. V. 17.) there is also mention of a work of Miltiades, entitled Tepi tov μǹ deīv προφήτην ἐν ἐκστάσει λαλειν: in which the calm and rational language of prophecy is advanced as an argument against the raptures and ecstacies of the false prophets of the Montanist heresy. Hence it may be fairly inferred that the writer of the same name, who is mentioned in a preceding fragment, preserved by Eusebius, as a partisan of this sect, was not the Father now under consideration. Indeed there is every reason to believe that in the passage in question there is a corruption in the text, and that 'Arißiacov is the true reading; not MiXriacov. Suffice it to observe that Miltiades, the Apologist, is styled by Tertullian (c. Valentin. §. 5.) Ecclesiarum Sophista: a title which clearly indicates an orthodox, as well as a learned, Christian disputant. Some have inferred from it that he was an able rhetorician; but this is less obvious.

THEOPHILUS, the sixth Bishop,† and probably a native, of Antioch, succeeded Eros in that see, according to the Chronicle of Eusebius, in the eighth year of Marcus Antoninus, A. D. 168. It has been thought that he was originally a Jew; but, from his own account (ad Autol. I. p. 78. C. D.), it should seem that he was a convert from Paganism; and his work on the Christian religion, addressed to Autolycus, proves him to have been well acquainted with the literature and mythology of the Greeks. This Autolycus, a heathen of considerable learning and research, had challenged him to a defence of the faith which he professed; and on one occasion, more especially, had exultingly demanded, Shew me thy God. The Libri ad Autolycum, his only remaining work of which the genuineness is undisputed, was the result. From certain passages in the Third Book (pp. 137, 138.), it is evident that it was not completed till after the death of Aurelius, which took place in the year 180; and Theophilus himself died, and was succeeded in the see by Maximin (Euseb. Hist. Eccl. IV. 24. V. 19.) in 181. Hence Dodwell assigns the work to another writer of the same name, and supposes that it was written about the year 203, in the reign of Severus. The conjecture, however, is so entirely at issue with the unvarying consent of antiquity, that it cannot be admitted for a moment; and there is no objection whatever to the latter part of the year 180 as the date of the work, which may have been finished in the interval between the demise of the Emperor and that of the Bishop.

In reply to his adversary's challenge, Theophilus observes in his First Book, that God is invisible to mortal eye, and that his infinite perfections render him inconceivable under any corporeal representation; at the same time that he is discernible in his works of creation and providence, and will eventually be clearly seen by the purified

See Routh's Rel. Sacr. Vol. II. p. 86.

† Jerome, in one place (Epist. 151. Algasiæ : Q. 6.) makes him the seventh in succession from Peter inclusive; but the order of Eusebius (Hist. Eccl. IV. 20.) is: Euodius, Ignatius, Heros, Cornelius, Eros, Theophilus.

eye of the mind; when, in a future state, "this corruptible shall have put on incorruption." In the course of his argument he analyses the principal appellations of the Deity : such as "Αναρχος, without beginning : Θεὸς, διὰ τὸ τεθεικέναι: Κύριος, ἀπὸ τοῦ κυριεύειν : &c. He then proceeds to establish the doctrine of a future state; and in order to this, he argues from the decay and reproduction of plants, from the succession of day and night, and from other analogies of a like nature, that a resurrection of the body is at once reasonable and unquestionable. From the truth of revelation he turns, in the Second Book, to the falsehood and absurdities of heathenism; quotes largely from the mythological fictions of poets and philosophers; ridicules their superstitious rites and worship; proves that their traditions are, in many instances, gross corruptions of sacred history; and enters at some length into the evidence of the truth and antiquity of the Mosaic narrative. The Third Book exhibits a defence of Christian doctrine and morality; and, vindicating the brethren from the calumnies which were maliciously circulated by their enemies, retorts the accusations successfully upon themselves. By way of supplement to the argument for scriptural antiquity in the Second Book, Theophilus has compiled a chronology of all the grand epochs from the creation to the Babylonish captivity, and therewith connected the Roman eras down to his own time.

The writings of this Father abound with moral reflections, and evince the most extensive learning and profound research. His style is elegant, though somewhat too diffuse, and ornamented with Oriental images. In the subjoined defence of the Christians from the charges of their opponents, the same line of argument is adopted as that employed by Athenagoras.

Σκόπει τοίνυν εἰ οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα μανθάνοντες δύνανται ἀδιαφόρως ζῆν, καὶ συμφύρεσθαι ταῖς ἀθεμίτοις μίξεσιν, ἢ, τὸ ἀθεώτατον πάντων, σαρκῶν ἀνθρωπείων ἐφάπτεσθαι· ὅπου γε καὶ τὰς θέας τῶν μονομάχων ἡμῖν ἀπείρηται ὁρᾶν, ἵνα μὴ κοινωνοὶ καὶ συνίστορες φόνων γενώμεθα. Αλλ' οὐδὲ τὰς λοιπὰς θεωρίας ὁρᾶν χρὴ, ἵνα μὴ μολύνωνται ἡμῶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ, καὶ τὰ ὦτα, γινόμενα συμμέτοχα τῶν ἐκεῖ φωνῶν ἀδομένων. Εἰ γὰρ εἴποι τὶς, περὶ ἀνθρωποβορίας ἐκεῖ τὰ Θυέστου, καὶ Τηρέως τέκνα ἐσθιό μενα· ἃ δὲ περὶ μοιχείας, οὐ μόνον περὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ θεῶν, ὦν καταγγέλλουσιν εὐφώνως, κατὰ τιμῶν καὶ ἄθλων παρ' αὐτοῖς τραγῳ δεῖται μακρὰν δὲ ἀπείη Χριστιανοῖς ἐνθυμηθῆναί τι τοιοῦτο πρᾶξαι, παρ' οἷς σωφροσύνη πάρεστιν, ἐγκράτεια ἀσκεῖται, μονογαμία τηρεῖται, ἁγνεία φυλάσσεται, ἀδικία ἐκπορθεῖται, ἁμαρτία ἐκριζονται, δικαιοσύνη μελετᾶται, νόμος πολιτεύεται, θεοσέβεια πράσσεται, θεὸς ὁμολογεῖται, ἀλήθεια βρα βεύει, χάρις συντηρεῖ, εἰρήνη περισκέπτει, λόγος ἅγιος ὁδηγεῖ, σοφία διδάσ κει, ζωὴ βραβεύει,* θεὺς βασιλεύει. Πολλὰ μὲν οὖν ἔχοντες λέγειν περὶ τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς πολιτείας, καὶ τῶν δικαιωμάτων τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ δημιουργοῦ πάσης κτίσεως, τὰ νῦν αὐτάρκως ἡγούμεθα επιμεμνῆσθαι.

Bishop Kaye refers the words ζωὴ βραβεύει, unless they are interpolated, to the title which our Saviour assumes to himself in John xi. 25. xiv. 6.